In an attempt to minimise the dependence on fossil fuels for energy requirements, a draft Master Plan for developing Bhubaneswar as a ‘Solar City’ has been prepared by ICLEI South Asia.
The programme is part of an initiative of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to convert 60 cities across the country into ‘Solar Cities’. While Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) is the nodal agency , Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will be implementing it.
The complete draft plan is based on data collected over a period of time. “The total electricity and fuel consumed in the last five years have been documented, based on this information a forecast will be made for the amount of energy needed after a few years,” said BMC Environment Officer BK Routray. The energy consumption has been sub-divided into categories like residential, commercial, institutional and civic services. Major attention has been given to street lighting. BMC officials are hopeful that the plan will be implemented in the beginning of 2013.