Country’s renowned electronics company, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL- BAP) has reportedly decided to utilise the solar energy potential of the region and is ready to install a 5 MW solar plant in Ranipet, Karnataka.
According to a report , the solar plant is expected to meet the energy/power demands of the boiler auxiliaries plant division of BHEL-BAP. This will be the first unit of BHEL to install a solar plant.
The report adds that the photovoltaic (PV) panels to be installed will be manufactured by BHEL’s Bangalore unit. It is expected that the plant will be up and running by December. The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has apparently allocated Rs 420 million, the expected overall cost of bringing up the project. “But if you consider the cost involved in running diesel generators during the power cut, we could take the cost back within two years,” BHEL-BAP executive director TN Veeraraghavan was quoted saying in the report.
“Though we are going to install the panels in the open spaces, we are thinking of utilising rooftops in order to generate solar power. But that would involve modification of roofs,” he added.