India’s first rooftop solar plant at the carport of a commercial mall was recently inaugurated. The 300-kW plant set up at Unity One, a commercial mall of Unity Group is located at Rohini, Delhi, was jointly executed by Tata Power Delhi Distribution and Tata Power Solar.
The plant is expected to generate 4,20,000 kwh of green energy annually will empower the complex’s day-to-day operations meeting 80 per cent of its electricity demand, a release from Tata Power DDL said. The plant will also contribute towards reducing the carbon footprint by around 438 tonnes every year. The solar installation will help Unity Mall to save of Rs.50 lakh annually on electricity bill and Rs.12 crore over the entire plant life. The initiative is in line with climate change agenda for Delhi and the National Solar Mission and is set up as part of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
The grid-connected, rooftop-based PV power plant supervised by Tata Power-DDL will have a life span of 25 years. Every 1 kw of a typical solar PV plant can generate 1,400 kwh annually. Consumers and institutions can also sell the surplus power generated to the discom, and attain breakeven on investment in five years.
Tata Power-DDL, in the release, observed that it has been an active promoter of rooftop solar plants and has conducted several workshops to educate its consumers for the same. The company is an empanelled first utility channel partner with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, and is the first utility in the country to receive the highest honour rating of SP1A (pronounced as Solar Power One A) twice as a system integration grading for solar PV projects in the context. The rating indicates highest performance capability and highest financial strength of Tata Power-DDL to undertake solar PV projects, the release noted.
(Photo: Featured photo shows aerial view of the new carport solar rooftop plant atop Unity One, Rohini, Delhi. Smaller picture shows close-in view of the installation. Photographs have been sourced from Unity Group)