PANAJI
Goa Institute of Management (GIM) installed a 675 KW solar plant at its Sanquelim campus accounting for nearly 90 per-cent of its demand and has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with JLTM Energy India Pvt Ltd who constructed the facility.
The price in the PPA is 'substantially lower' than the commercial tariff imposed by the State electricity department on privately owned schools, the GIM said in a statement.
Power Minister Nilesh Cabral was the chief guest at the launch of the facility on Saturday and acknowledged that it was the largest solar power facilty installed in the State till date.
"Am happy to see that the panels used are of premium quality and the very best of what is available. There are various technological advancements being made in the area of power and GIM has sought the best technology and used it on campus. I congratulate the Director and the project team lead by Peter D’Lima who made this possible in such a short time,” Cabral said in his inaugural speech at Sanquelim.
According to GIM director Ajit Parulekar, the decision to install the solar power facility at the Sanquelim campus has a conscious move in the quest to reduce carbon footprints.
Rainwater harvesting, solar-powered street lamps, solar heating, treatment of water for reuse, tree plantation drives and several more steps have also been taken, Parulekar said, adding that GIM is committed to following sustainable practices.
The solar project is aligned to the institute's efforts to adopt sustainable practices on the campus, he said, adding that it is perhaps the only educational institute in India to have an energy management system where power consumption patterns across the campus, including building blocks are tracked.
The solar cells installed are monocrystalline variety which utilizes lesser roof area and also ensures better solar energy conversion, the GIM statement said, adding that monocrystaline panels also have a lower degradation factor.
The Solar panels installed are of 500 Wp capacity and manufactured by Trina Solar of China and inverters too are imported from China of Growatt make, it adds.
The institute had signed the PPA in October 2020, following which JLTM Energy India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Technique Solaire of France, worked at break-neck speed to commission the plant on April 1.
GIM said, the work included import of solar panels from China, prefabricating steel structure in Delhi and erecting the concrete supports at the site.
