PUNE: Solar rooftop panels will be installed on four buildings of Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) in its phase one project. By installing solar panels, KCB will be able to save power bills up to Rs 25 lakh every year. 

In 2016, the board had sanctioned the solar rooftop panel to be installed on six buildings in the jurisdiction of Khadki. In phase one, four buildings have been selected where the solar panel will be installed on the rooftops, including Lal Bahadur Shastri High School, Shri Shivaji Maratha Jijamata Girls Primary School, Dr Ambedkar Cantonment General Hospital and on Kahdki Cantonment Board’s office. In phase two, the solar panel will be installed on two commercial buildings in Khadki.

Somkant Patil, Junior Electrical Engineer of KCB, said, “The cost of installation of the solar panel is Rs 1.62 crore and it will save power bills up to Rs 25 lakh every year. The solar panel will generate 260 kW from all the rooftops.”

“The actual work has not started yet and the designing stage is in progress. We have given the work to Relyon Solar Pvt Ltd, an outsourcing agency. 

The installation work will start in the next 15 days and will get over by April end,” Patil added.

Amol Jagtap, Chief Executive Officer of the board, said, “We plan to link solar power units with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited’s (MSEDCL) grid. The power generated through the project will be used to meet the cantonment’s needs and the surplus will be given to MSEDCL.”

Jagtap further said, “We will get 20 per cent subsidy from the government after the actual work starts. Also, we are in talks with Maharashtra Energy Development Agency for this and further projects.”