Lanterns, which evoke fascinating impressions of a bygone era, are now becoming a tool for energy conservation. The Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT), headquartered in the capital, is launching a scheme for the distribution of 28,000 ‘Solar Lanterns’ at subsidised rates.
ANERT officials said that a single solar lantern, which uses a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and a small solar panel unit and battery, costs Rs 2,000, but ANERT will be offering a Rs 1,000 subsidy. ANERT has already placed orders for the solar lanterns.
‘’The USP of a lantern is that it is portable. The lanterns will be distributed state-wide through 14 district offices of ANERT. The battery can be charged during daytime using the solar panel and the lanterns can be used at night. And CFLs last longer than an incandescent bulb and are more energy efficient,’’ a senior ANERT official said.
ANERT is in charge of the ambitious ‘Solar Home’ project announced by the UDF Government, which is an attempt to rope in the public’s help to tap solar power.
The agency is also planning to install 1,200 solar LED streetlights in selected local bodies as part of a demonstration project.