Jacob Abraham**,,
The Central Prison in Thiruvananthapuram has become the first one in the country to depend entirely on clean and renewable solar energy.
The solar energy project at the central prison at Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram has been set up at a cost of Rs. 7.9 crore. Street lighting and fans for the block, steam cooking, chappathi making unit and water pumping will be powered by solar energy. Nearly 229 KW of power is generated by the project.
The project will considerably reduce power consumption and bring relief to the jail department. The Kerala State Electricity Board has charged Rs. 1.27 crore last year in central prison for electricity. With the hike in rates this will touch Rs. 2 crore a year.
The transition to solar power will ensure 24 hour power supply and a 12 hour backup. According to ADGP (Prisons) solar power projects will be undertaken in all jails across the state and Rs. 25.56 crore has been earmarked for it. The 13th Finance Commission had allotted Rs. 154 crore for the modernisation of prisons in the state. Of this, Rs. 14.79 crore had been set apart for development of programmes at the Central prison, Poojappura.
The 24 hour power supply and a 12 hour backup has strengthened the security setup of the central prison. Most number of jail escapes occured during power cuts and with the transition to solar energy, this problem is completely eliminated.
Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy would provide 30 percent subsidy on the implementation cost and as much subsidy would be provided by the State Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT).
Kerala is at present facing electricity shortage forcing the government to impose one hour power cut every day in the state. The power requirement of the state will increase to 6,000 MW by 2020, whereas the current electricity production is much less.
Taking into consideration all these aspects the state is planning to utilize solar energy in a big way. The state has decided to implement a pilot project for installing rooftop solar panels in as many as 10,000 homes in the state. Solar panels with a capacity of one KW would be installed and the off-grid power could be stored in a battery that would power equipments in the house. The project would help generate a total of 10 MW of electricity every year. State Electricity Minister Mr. Aryadan Mohammed said that the project will be expanded to cover more houses if found successful.
*******
