Diesel generator (DG) sets used in residential societies in Gurugram during power cuts cause huge spike in air pollution in local surroundings — ranging from a 30% to 100 % increase in PM2.5 and PM10 levels, revealed a recent research by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The findings were shared at a meeting to release the CSE’s report on the city’s solar rooftop potential this past week.
The research, ‘Pollution in Residential Societies from DG Sets’, showed that PM2.5 and PM10 increased by 30% to 50%-100% compared to the levels before their use in societies where DG sets were operated for several hours a day.
Over 8 hours
When DG usage exceeded eight hours, PM levels were persistently high throughout the day.
On an average, PM2.5 and PM10 levels were 130 and 300; while peak PM2.5 and PM10 levels were 300 and 1,900 respectively.
The CSE report, titled, ‘Going Solar: Action Plan to Tap Gurugram’s Solar Rooftop Potential 2018’, revealed that solar rooftops (SRTs) were a clean and cheaper alternative to the highly polluting DG sets.
The per unit cost of electricity generated by a DG is ₹35 per unit inclusive of the cost of the DG set, while SRT cost less than ₹6 per unit.
The meeting, organised in collaboration with Gurgaon First, a non-profit based here, was attended by officials from Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) Ltd., which supplies electricity to Gurugram; Haryana Renewable Energy Development. Agency (HAREDA), which is responsible for implementing the solar rooftop programme; and International Solar Alliance (ISA). Several solar developers and representatives from residents’ welfare associations (RWA) were also present.
The report also highlighted poor compliance with a 2016 HAREDA order, which mandated installation of SRTs by large industrial, commercial and institutional consumers. However, less than 5% of the 6,200 entities that were required to install SRTs have complied with the order.
The CSE’s research found that most agencies, including Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), and Department of Town and Country Planning, had not incorporated the rooftop mandate into their regulations.
They have not even communicated the order to consumers, let alone enforce the mandate.
The study estimates that the HAREDA regulation translates into approximately 62 MW of installation by current commercial and industrial consumers.
“Gurugram’s SRT potential is as high as 800 MW based on the Gurugram Master Plan. The city should target 200 MW of solar rooftop by 2022, which is achievable if solar rooftop is actively promoted among residential societies,” said Priyavrat Bhati, Programme Director, Energy, CSE.