TOI : Civic body uses Solar Energy, April 19, 2010
MUMBAI: If the BMC has its way, it will soon be mandatory for all hoardings in Mumbai to use solar energy instead of the conventional energy.
The BMC first put forward the proposal through former mayor Shubha Raul, who had written to the state government, urging them to make it mandatory for billboards and hoardings to use solar energy and conserve power. The rising hours of load-shedding due to power shortage has made the government sit up and take notice of the proposal.
Non-conventional energy minister, Ganesh Naik, in a written reply circulated in the assembly recently confirmed that they have received such a letter and said they have asked the civic body to furnish more details on the issue.
According to Naik’s reply, the state wants to know how much energy a hoarding actually consumes. Whether there is space available for installation of equipment that converts the light into solar energy also needs to be looked into, the reply said and added, “The decision on this issue will be taken only after the civic body submits its report to the department.”
According to sources, over 3,000 billboards dot Mumbai’s skyline and they consume 15,000 units of power every day (which is more than 0.5% of the city’s total electricity consumption). Massive power is consumed by these hoardings. The state is already finding it difficult to match power supply and demand. Making use of solar energy mandatory for the ad companies would not only save power, but also contribute in making Mumbai an eco-friendly city, said Raul.
Maharashtra, which was an energy surplus state, has been facing a huge shortfall in power generation for a decade now. While 10,500 MW of power is generated in the state, it actually requires over 15,000 MW which means a shortfall of nearly 4,500 MW. Raul said there should be some incentives for the hoarding companies to switch to solar energy.
Echoing Raul’s views, mayor Shraddha Jadhav said, “This is a good suggestion. I will pursue the issue with the state government.”
Energy expert, Ashok Pendse said that while the move was welcome, the solar energy option should not be made mandatory to hoarding companies alone. The use of solar energy should be made mandatory even for residential buildings, he added.