Solar power to light up govt offices, reduce electricity bill

Bids invited for 40MW solar projects, initial phase to cover 4 districts

- S GURUVANMIKANATHAN

THE Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) has invited bids to set up 40MW of grid-connected rooftop solar power projects on government buildings across the state.

The project aims to help state government departments lower their electricity bills, as many of them already have bill payments pending for several months, which the electricity board is struggling to collect.

"This is the first time we are taking up such a large-scale solar project for government office buildings across Tamil Nadu. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) now functioning under TNGECL had installed solar panels in 250 schools with a total capacity of 1.5MW.

Though some government offices already have solar systems, we do not have proper data on them," a senior TNGECL official told TNIE.