JAIPUR: The project to make Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation JMRC ) stations self-sufficient in energy by installing rooftop solar plants is still in limbo following the failure of the state government to approve the same.Under a central government project, the Jaipur Metro had decided to set up rooftop solar panels at eight elevated stations along the 9.25km-long corridor between Mansarovar and Chandpole. The project failed to see the light of the day due to the lackadaisical approach of the state government.Following this, the JMRC decided to install the rooftop solar plants with the assistance of Rajasthan government. However, the project has so far not received any approval. “Under the Central government scheme, the JMRC had earlier requested the Centre to install 2,500 KWP rooftop solar power plants at Metro stations . The Centre had approved the project. However, the proposal failed to take off as the state government failed to give permission,” said a JMRC official.The permission of the state government is mandatory. Later, the JMRC decided to invite tenders on its own to go ahead with the project. But, nothing has been done in this regard. If the project is implemented, it would become the biggest solar plant installed on any government building in the state.According to an official, the Centre has set a target to produce one lakh megawatt (MW) solar power by 2022. Out of this, about 40,000 MW has to come from the grid connected to solar rooftops systems. The Centre also wants Rajasthan to play an active role in installing rooftop plants.The power generated by 2,500 KWP rooftop solar power plants is expected to meet all the requirements of Metro stations during the day and reduce its dependence on non-renewable sources.“For all Metro operations, approximately 11 lakh units are required. The rooftop plants would have produced 2.5 lakh units which could have been enough to meet all the requirements of stations during the day,” added the official.Sources claimed that it was a cost-effective model to generate power for the Metro. “The JMRC could have purchased electricity for Rs 5.37 per unit for the next 25 years. At present, the electricity consumption of one Metro station is approximately 1,200 units per day. The solar panels would have generated electricity for all daytime operations,” the official said.

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