Rohini mall gets India’s 1st solar carport plant

NEW DELHI: The country’s first rooftop solar carport was inaugurated at a mall in Rohini on Monday. The solar plant, which has come up on the rooftop of a parking space at Unity One, can generate 300kW of electricity daily and will meet 80% of the mall’s daily needs, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
The plant, jointly developed by Tata Power Delhi discom and Tata Power Solar, will help the mall save Rs 50 lakh annually on electricity bills.
The initiative is set up as part of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and is in line with the climate change agenda for Delhi and National Solar Mission. While inaugurating the plant, power minister Satyendar Jain appreciated the efforts towards adopting solar power and reiterated Delhi government’s commitment towards promoting rooftop solar power.
The project has been envisaged to acquire self-reliance in energy consumption and production cycle through the net-metering scheme. “Consumers and institutions can also sell the surplus power generated to the discom, and attain break-even on investment in five years,” a spokesperson of Tata Power Delhi said.
The plant enables the mall to receive real value of the energy by earning on the unused solar electricity. It also cuts down the need to install a second meter or an expensive battery storage system as it is directly connected to the local power grid. “The rooftop plant will help us meet a major amount of our energy requirements through green energy,” said Harshvardhan Bansal, director of Unity Group.
At the inauguration, Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD of Tata Power Delhi, said, “We have been an active participant for the promotion of solar energy in the country. The launch of this carport plant aims to encourage the adoption of solar power among our commercial consumers having large rooftop spaces for installation.”
The discom, he added, will continue its efforts towards enhancing the use of solar power and contribute towards National Solar Mission, which aims to establish India as a global leader in solar energy.