After making it compulsory for new buildings to use solar water heaters, the Karnataka state government now plans to install solar panels in major state buildings and public utilities. Bangalore is the leading city in India for the use of solar water heaters, with usage of 60% of household and industrial units using solar water heaters.
The city currently faces a shortage of 300-500 MW. Under the recently announced solar city project, the state government is now planning to install photovoltaic panels with a capacity of 2-5 KW on rooftops of over 10,000 houses, for use by the locality, with the rest to be pumped to the state grid.
The Karnataka state is also proposing solar power to operate street lights, drinking water supply and in government buildings. There is also a proposal to power streetlights and park lights RLS with solar panels.
Now whether these will solve Bangalore’s power problems in the near future is anyone’s guess. But this goes to prove that only when you start getting hurt badly, you start acting.
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