The Capital city has moved one step closer to implement the solar city programme launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) after ICLEI South Asia submitted its master plan.
Bhubaneswar was selected as one of 60 cities for the solar city programme for which The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the nodal agency.
ICLEI South Asia was asked to submit the master plan by April, 2012. But inordinate delay on the part of ICLEI to complete the master plan delayed the programme by one year.
Under the programme, each city has to minimise its existing energy consumption by 10 per cent. MNRE has set the target for the programme and will share the expense of its implementation with respective state governments.
The major responsibility of the BMC is to identify the locations in the city where solar street lights can be set up as it is facing the problem of acquiring land for the purpose.
BMC Environment Officer BK Routray said the first step of implementation of the programme will be to create awareness among the public about solar energy.
The master plan of ICLEI also covers the proposal of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to install solar powered water heater and solar lights in new buildings. The proposal will be sent to MNRE for approval and will be implemented after its approval. The BMC officials said the major problem faced by them is the high initial cost as the solar batteries and the solar panels are very expensive.