VP Naidu urges govt to adopt sustainable energy, dedicates 1.5-megawatt solar power plant

Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, today urged large institutions and public sector organisations to use renewable energy to achieve sustainability in their operations. He advocated for the broader use of rooftop solar plants in buildings of big companies and large institutions such as colleges, government buildings, and warehouses. 

At the event in Puducherry, VP Naidu dedicated a 1.5-megawatt rooftop solar power plant at JIPMER, Puducherry to the nation. He said that India is on its way to becoming the global leader in the field of ‘energy transition'. He praised India's recent achievement of 100 Gigawatts of installed renewable energy capacity.

VP Venkaiah Naidu dedicates 1.5-megawatt rooftop solar power plant; urges sustainable operations

Naidu urged all states and municipal governments to adopt the model building by-laws for new construction. He also argued that large buildings and government organisations should be required to have solar rooftop plants, solar water heaters, and must harvest rainwater, as well as ensuring enough lighting and ventilation. VP Naidu emphasised the importance of rooftop solar plants in maintaining India's "energy transition" momentum, noting that rooftop solar plants utilise unused space on buildings, generate power near to the point of consumption, and reduce transmission losses.

He said, “The solar plant at JIPMER will harness a resource that we in India are abundantly blessed with – sunlight. I am told that this plant is one of the largest hospital-based rooftop solar plants in India. By using all the space available on the roofs of 15 buildings in this green campus, the plant will generate 1.5 Megawatts of power, and meet about 15% of the hospital’s energy demand.”

VP Naidu urges governments to raise awareness on solar power and solar panels 

The Vice President urged state, central, and local governments to work together as a team to popularise solar energy and raise public knowledge about the benefits of installing solar panels on their roofs. He advocated for large-scale public awareness campaigns to raise awareness of the subsidy programmes for solar rooftop systems and the resulting electricity savings. He further emphasised the need for ventilation and air circulation in buildings, citing lessons learned from the pandemic. In order to preserve excellent health, he stressed the importance of creating living and working areas with enough ventilation and natural light.

VP Naidu further praised medical institutions such as JIPMER for demonstrating tremendous courage and rising to the challenge during the pandemic. He claimed that the country has been able to effectively combat the epidemic thanks to the combined efforts of such institutions, doctors, medical personnel, and healthcare workers. Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, Speaker, Puducherry Assembly, Embalam R. Selvam, Lok Sabha MP, V. Vaithilingam, MLA from Puducherry, V. Aroumougame, Director, JIPMER, Puducherry, Dr Rakesh Aggarwal, among others, attended the event.

(IMAGE: VPSECRETARIAT - TWITTER)