Dehli, one of the world’s most polluted cities, will soon be going green thanks to the city’s administrators’ efforts to get solar power from Madhya Pradesh plant to power the city’s metro trains. According to Dehli’s New and Renewable Energy Department Mr. Manu Shrivastava, the power purchase agreement between Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the developers of the project is at an advanced stage and is due to come into effect in the coming months. Upon completion, the project will be the world’s largest solar power plant and is expected to generate 750 Megawatts worth of energy. This is actually more than enough to power the proposed green metro trains, thereby easing the effects of pollution caused by motor vehicles. Tenders for setting up the project were issued in March and a meeting of bidders took place on the 1st of April in Delhi.
The meeting, also attended by the DMRC Director, AK Gupta, was seen as a giant step towards the realization of a much greener Dehli, especially at a time when pollution is choking the national capital. The news was also welcomed by the city’s resident who had lost hope on the Delhi government’s ability to contain or reduce pollution from vehicular traffic, a major contributor to pollution and the city’s well-known smog problem. It is hoped that the decline in pollution brought about by this new, greener transport system will help bring about increased levels of tourism to the area, as the city cleans up its act, both literally and figuratively.
The managing director of Madhya Pradesh, Urja Vikas Nigam said that the paperwork between the two main participants (MP and DMRC) is in its final stages and the new solar power plant would most likely be commissioned by June of 2017.
The large-scale green power station is a huge project as the cost of setting up 1MW aofsolar energy is estimated to be Rs 6 crore. That’s why it’s being funded by the World Bank Group to the tune of Rs 250 crore in conjunction with Madhya Pradesh and the Solar Energy Corporation of India. The project is being constructed on 1,500 hectares of land in the Rewa district in the Bandwar region of Gudh Tehsil.
This power project is something that is being watched closely not only by Delhi residents, but also by the entire world. Presently, the globe’s largest solar power project is in California, USA and capable of producing 392 MW. All eyes are now focused on Delhi’s green power project. With countries from Pakistan and Morocco and to Ireland and America having recently invested heavily in solar energy or pledged to do so in the near future, India is in good company as it strides toward a greener future.