World’s largest 'single rooftop' solar power plant

Solar energy is getting bigger by the day, and here’s a great moment of pride for us, India is now home to world's largest solar rooftop plant. World’s largest Single Rooftop Solar Power Plant with a capacity of 11.5 MW to the nation at Beas, Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal inaugurated the plant spread over 42 acres on the Dera Baba Jaimal Singh (Radha Soami sect) Amritsar, Punjab.

He said, Punjab was producing only 9MW of renewable energy till February 2012, which has now gone up to 470MW and is expected to touch 1,080MW by year-end. It is a welcome change to see the state realising importance of renewable energy. It is estimated that the plant has been set up at a cost of 139 crores, it will generate 11.5 MW of electricity offsetting 19000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

If we talk numbers, the project will generate 27 million units of electricity per annum, enough to cater to the electricity needs of approximately 8,000 households. The first phase (7.5 MW) of this project was allotted in September 2013 and synchronised with the grid in April 2014. Later, the second phase (12 MW) was allotted in February 2015 and synchronised in December 2015.

In another such step, to make Chandigarh a model solar city, the state is all set to issue a notification soon to make rooftop solar photovoltaic power plants mandatory for all buildings in the city. This plant is definitely a breakthrough, it would add to the additional power and would open up more avenues in solar and wind power sector.