Grid-connected Rooftop Solar project at CW&PRS

The infrastructure facilities at CW&PRS use about 90,000 KWh of electricity per month, which adds up to a monthly energy expenditure of about Rs. 15 lakhs. As per directives of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) the organisations under Government of India, are required to generate and use Solar Power to promote ecological and sustainable growth. In consonance with the above, CW&PRS built a solar power plant in August 2019 in compliance with MNRE guidelines. It was estimated that 698.10 kWp would be required to meet CW&PRS's demand. As illustrated in Table 1, CW&PRS identified four roof tops for solar panel installation.

Table 1. Details of solar power plant at CW&PRS

Using the RESCO (Renewable Energy Service Company) concept, CW&PRS established a solar power plant. In general, the RESCO developer owns and maintains the solar plant in the zero-investment RESCO model and customers only pay for the electricity they use. Apart from the energy units utilized by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), any surplus solar energy generated on holidays is integrated into the grid and utilized by CW&PRS during peak hours as well as precipitation-prone days.