Acting on the need for development of sustainable energy resources, the Madurai Corporation will soon introduce energy saving equipment like solar panels and LED street lights across all 100 wards.
A bio-methane gas plant is also on the cards.
Some facilities in the Area Based Development (ABD) zone - spanning across 15 wards- will be funded through the Central government’s Smart City Mission. The other wards will be covered through public private partnerships, said Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar and added that Detailed Project Reports were being currently prepared.
Under the Smart City Mission, approximately 7,500 lights in the ABD area will be replaced with LED lights. The project is expected to cost a total of ₹5 crore, said a source from the engineering department of the Corporation. He added that energy saving would be improved by at least 40 per cent, thus preventing unnecessary energy dispersion and expenditure.
An official from the street light wing stated that there are 52,384 lights of various types including- sodium vapour lamps, tube lights, compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and LED lights in all the wards.
“With the introduction of LED lights, the life of the bulb will be longer and will also aid in energy saving,” he pointed out.
The Corporation is also looking to invest in renewable energy like solar power. Dr. Sekhar said that all buildings owned by the Corporation including maternity homes, schools, tax collection centres, Primary Health Centres, bus shelters and overhead water tanks will soon have solar panel installations. The project is expected to cost ₹20 crore, he said. “Anna Maaligai, the seat of the Corporation is already using solar energy, thus helping in energy saving. We are formulating a plan to incentivize these installation even in residential areas,” he added.
A bio-methane gas plant at a cost of approximately ₹7 crore will be installed in Vellakkal and will process hotel and market waste, said an engineering department official. The main aim of the project is to safeguard the environment and promote scientific disposal. “One tonne of garbage can produce 30 kgs of biomethane. We plan to process at least 50 tonnes of waste per day,” he said.
The Commissioner added that the practical feasibility of bottling methane is being evaluated. “We are looking at other models and learning to overcome any challenges we may face in the process of bottling. The officials are also working on a means to increase the calorific level of the fuel,” he added.
