PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday announced that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy plans to transform Panaji into a 100 per cent renewable energy city within one year.
“Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has identified Panaji to be transformed as 100 per cent renewable energy city from August 15, 2023 to August 15, 2024”, Sawant said.
He said public support is essential and that efforts are also being made to raise awareness about the benefits.
Presently, the electricity load of Panaji is 128 mw, average peak load is 22 mw while capacity of rooftop solar systems on government and private buildings as of now is only 0.5 mw.
Sawant said for Panaji to go 100 per cent solar, people will have to generate solar power or purchase it. “Panaji can become renewable energy city by using mechanisms such as rooftop solar systems, group net energy metering & virtual net energy metering and by use of innovative technologies such as Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV),” he said.
In BIVP solar panels are mounted on vertical walls, a pilot project done at Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Stadium, he added.
He asked citizens to visit the Goa energy portal for information about shifting to renewal energy. “If every village in Goa becomes a renewal energy village, Goa will be the first State in the country to achieve the target of Net Zero carbon emission”, he said.
By embracing renewable energy, Panaji will greatly reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.
The transformation into a renewable energy city will not only benefit the environment but also lead to long-term cost savings and energy independence for the city.
