Green on mind, IIIT-A to harness solar power

Allahabad: With a ‘green' mission, authorities of Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (IIIT-A) would soon set up a state-of-the-art solar photovoltaic power plant on its campus.
The institute would install a 300 KWp rooftop plant connected to the power grid at the boys hostel. Excess electricity generated by the plant, if any, will also be made available to the power grid, which can be used by others.The step will help the institute partially meet its own power expenditure.
The importance of solar photovoltaic technology is growing worldwide as a credible source of power supply for terrestrial applications. "The mission is in line with the joint initiative of the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) and ministry of HRD to make campuses of technical institutions solar-energy efficient. The plant will make us less dependent on power grid supply and make our own system more reliable. We will use the opportunity to enhance associated teaching and research activities and not merely as a capacity-building mechanism," said IIIT-A director Somenath Biswas.
He said that the largest power consumption at IIIT-Allahabad was in the labs and classrooms during day time and hostels during night. "The plant will enable us to reduce electricity bills and the investment will be covered in coming years. This is not just an initiative to save money and reduce our carbon footprint, but also an opportunity to understand how these systems function," he added.
Talking about the project, nodal officer, Satish K Singh, said the power plant would be set up at a cost of around Rs 2.40 crore at a rate of around Rs 80,000/KWp benchmark cost set by MNRE.