Our
country is passing through a phase of immense and rapid development and hence
consequentially the rising demand for energy. Urbanization and industrial
growth are only adding to the growing demand. But at the same time, there is
also a thrust for using “clean and green” energy so as to reduce the green
house gas emissions. Keeping in mind the need of the hour, the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy has initiated the programme of ‘Development of Solar
Cities’. The programme has been designed to support/encourage
Urban Local Bodies to prepare a Road Map to guide their cities in becoming
‘renewable energy cities’ or ‘Solar Cities’.
The
Solar City programme aims to consolidate all
the efforts of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and address the energy problem
of the urban areas in a holistic manner. The various initiatives of the
Ministry which include promoting solar water heating systems in homes, hotels,
hostels, hospitals and industry; deploying Solar Photo Voltaic(SPV) systems/devices in
urban areas for demonstration and awareness creation; establishing ‘Akshya Urja Shops’; designing Solar Buildings and promoting
urban and industrial waste/ biomass to energy projects would be streamlined
under the programme. In a Solar
City all types of
renewable energy based projects like solar, wind, biomass, small hydro, waste
to energy etc. will be installed in an energy efficient manner as well as
commensurate with the requirements of the city. The Solar City
aims at minimum 10% reduction in projected demand of conventional energy and
increasing energy production through renewable energy. The basic aim is to
motivate the local Governments for encouraging and adopting renewable energy
technologies and energy efficiency measures.
The
Solar City would be identified on the premise
of population; potential of renewable energy resources and energy conservation;
initiatives taken by local governments as well as the general public and
industry in the same arena. The
cities may have population between 0.50 lakh to 50 lakh, however, relaxation is
considered for special category States including North-Eastern
States and hilly States, Islands and Union Territories.
A total of 60 cities/towns were identified to be supported for development as
Solar Cities during the 11th Plan period. At least one city in each
State to a maximum of five cities in a State may be supported by the Ministry
as Solar City.
Aims of Solar City Programme
• To enable and empower Urban Local Governments to
address energy challenges at City - level.
• To provide a framework and support to prepare a
Master Plan including assessment of current energy situation, future demand and
action plans.
• To build capacity in the Urban Local Bodies and
create awareness among all sections of civil society.
• To involve various stakeholders in the planning
process.
• To oversee the implementation of sustainable
energy options through public - private partnerships.
The
programme seeks to assist the Urban Local Governments financially as well as technically.
The local governments would be encouraged to make Master Plan and provide
institutional arrangements for it. The master plan of the city will include the
base-line for energy consumption during the year 2008, demand forecasting for
the years 2013 and 2018, sector-wise strategies and action plan for
implementation of renewable energy projects so as to mitigate the fossil fuel
consumption in the city. Proper awareness generation activities would be
included in the scheme.
Financial Assistance
Under the programme, financial assistance up to Rs.
50.00 Lakhs per city/town is provided depending upon population and initiatives
decided to be taken by the City Council/Administration as per the following
details:
• Up to Rs 10.00 lakhs for preparation of a Master
Plan within a year along with few
implementable Detailed Project Reports .
• Up to Rs. 10.00 lakhs for setting up of Solar
City Cell and it’s functioning for a period of three years.
• Up to Rs. 10.00 lakhs for oversight of
implementation during three years.
• Up to Rs. 20 lakhs for capacity building and
other promotional activities to be utilized in three years.
In
addition, the financial and fiscal incentives available under various
programmes of the Ministry are also applicable on the Solar Cities for
installation of renewable energy projects, systems and devices.
Solar Cities
An
in-principle approval has been given to 48 Cities for Solar Cities which
include Agra, Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Surat in
Gujarat, Nagpur, Kalyan-Dombiwali, Thane, Nanded, Aurangabad and Shirdi in
Maharashtra, Indore, Gwalior, Bhopal and
Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, Imphal in
Manipur, Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland, Dehradun, Haridwar-Rishikesh,
Chamoli-Gopeshwar in Uttarakhand, , Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana,
Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh, Bilaspur and Raipur in
Chhattisgarh, Agartala in Tripura,
Guwahati and Jorhat in Assam, Hubli-Dharwad and Mysore in Karnataka,
Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in Kerala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and SAS Nagar Mohali
in Punjab, Ajmer, Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Bhubaneswar in Orissa, Aizawl in Mizoram, Panji City in Goa,
Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, Hamirpur and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and
Howrah in West Bengal and Chandigarh.
Out of them sanctions have been issued for 38 cities namely Agra, Moradabad, Rajkot,
Gandhinagar, Surat, Nagpur, Kalyan-Dombiwali, Thane, Aurangabad, Gwalior,
Imphal, Kohima, Dimapur, Dehradun, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Chamoli-Gopeshwar,
Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Coimbatore, Vijayawada, Bilaspur, Raipur,
Agartala, Guwahati, Jorhat, Hubli-Dharwad, Mysore, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jodhpur,
Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Panaji City, Itanagar, Hamirpur, Shimla and Shirdi. The
Master Plans for 20 cities have already been prepared. Three cities namely Nagpur, Chandigarh
and Gandhinagar are being developed as Model Solar Cities.
