500 Govt schools in Telangana to have solar power by March

So far solar panels have been installed in over 100 government schools and work orders have been issued for another 453 schools

Hyderabad: Over 500 government schools in the State will have access to solar power by March. Last year, the State government had announced that it would install rooftop solar systems in 1,521 government schools at a cost of Rs 32 crore in 12 districts.

According to officials at the Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO), so far solar panels have been installed in over 100 government schools and work orders have been issued for another 453 schools.

“In the first phase of the project, we will be installing solar panels in about 500 government schools. We are expecting to finish the work of all the 1,521 schools in the next few months,” a senior official said.

Last September, TSREDCO had invited tenders for installation of solar panels and finalized 11 vendors. The selected vendors are installing 2 KW to 5 KW rooftop solar systems in the schools. The schools with over 200 enrollments have been selected for the installation of the solar panels. Out of the 1,521 government schools selected, 916 come under the Southern Power Distribution Company Limited and 605 are under the Northern Power Distribution Company Limited.

Officials said installation of solar panels would not only help in bringing down the annual power bills of the schools to a large extent but also help them in earning money through the excess power generated and transferred to the grid.

“Of late, government schools have increasingly become interactive due to smart classes and usage of computer systems in large numbers. This has led to higher electricity bills for the schools. The solar panels installed in schools will reduce the power bill loads while providing uninterrupted power supply,” a senior official said.