SAMBALPUR: Gangadhar Meher University (GMU) here has planned to instal solar panels to illuminate the campus. Informing this, Deputy Registrar of the university Uma Charan Pati said three firms have evinced interest for the project. The three firms, including two Haryana-based companies, besides one from Odisha, made presentation in this regard recently.
They will entrust the most experienced firm to execute the project. The university will invite technical and financial bids from the firms shortly, he said.
Pati said the project will be implemented on Power Purchase Agreement basis. The firm, which will carry out the project, will instal solar plates on the roofs of the university buildings, including hostels, from its own fund. The university will purchase power from the firm at `3.40 per unit against the WESCO’s current charge of `5.40 per unit. This apart, the firm will sell surplus power to GRIDCO. The selected firm will decide on the quantity of solar energy to be generated from the GMU campus, he added.
Apart from utilisation of green energy on university campus, Pati said the project will substantially help in reducing the electricity bill of the educational institution. At present, the GMU pays about `20 lakh annually towards the electricity bill which will be reduced by 40 per cent after the project is materialised. Moreover, the university will get uninterrupted power supply which will immensely help the students and hostel inmates, he added.
The premier educational institution of Western Odisha, which was upgraded to university in 2015, is spread over an area of about 38 acres.
On the other hand, GMU is also going to set up a biogas plant to process the biodegradable waste generated from kitchen of hostels, and produce own energy for cooking by the end of January 2019. The biogas plant will generate about 13 kg of clean energy daily.