In a move to light up almost all the streets and local community hall or local club premises or Mandaps of Uripok assembly constituency in Imphal West district, Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency (Manireda) has taken up an installation of solar power plants in the constituency with the support of its local MLA.
Conveying about the initiative, Director L Manglem of Manireda said the idea to use the renewable solar energy which is green energy by using the unused rooftop space in order to help the country in achieving its ambitious target of 1,00,000 MW by 2020.
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“Besides it will not only help in minimizing the usual expenditure in buying power supply as the plants directly links with the power grid, but also helps the environment,” he added.
These power plants will generate solar energy for street lighting as a part of the ongoing solar energy generation project jointly with Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited so that the unused power supply can be sold to Power Grid.
So the beneficiaries particularly the local clubs or community bodies will get the benefits if they used the power supply judiciously for the next 25 years, Manireda Director said. The lifespan of the solar panels is said to be 25 years.
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Interestingly 70 per cent of the total cost for installation of the solar power plant will be borne by Manireda and only the remaining 30 per cent will be borne by the individual or the local club or community bodies who have applied for the work, he added.
But in case of Uripok constituency, it is reported that the local MLA Yumnam Joykumar who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of the state extended necessary financial support to local bodies from his local area development fund for the installation of solar power plants.
“Once the lighting at street and community centres in the constituency is completed, it will be helpful in controlling crime and related activities,” feels former state police chief Joykumar while inaugurating 10th and 11th plants out of the proposed 40 solar power plants in the constituency, at Nityainanda Mandap RIMS road and Radha Mandap at Naoremthong premises here on Sunday.
The plants which are currently installed or under installation process have the generating capacity of 3KW to 8KW and each unit can light at least 300-400 LED bulbs.
He also appealed people to co-operate with this initiative to encourage solar energy generation in the state so that it can give less pressure to the environment by reducing the carbon footprint.