Bhubaneswar: The Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Jajpur has become the first RTO in Odisha to power its electricity requirements from solar energy, according to an official press release issued by the State Transport Authority (STA).
As most of the offices depend on electricity for most of their energy consumption needs, installing solar panels on the rooftop of the RTO building will reduce electricity bills.
“The idea was to adopt green energy and reduce electricity bills. It will save a lot of money in the long run, also will improve the efficiency of the workplace, as solar power can create large amounts of electricity without the uncertainty & expense of securing a fuel supply,” said N K Pradhan, Regional Transport officer, Jajpur.
The RTO is still connected to the grid, but will only pay meter charges for Air Conditioner usage or consume electricity from the grid during complete cloud cover.
Pradhan further informed, “A recurring cost of Rs 1000 (Approx) per day for 20 official days sum up to Rs 20, 000(Approx) will be saved. Approximately 30 units of power generation every day will reduce the grid energy bills. This may reduce more electric bill by approximately 10 holidays X 25 units will reduce the cost of 250 units. These 250 units can be used by the general public (one normal house consumption).”
The solar project has been entrusted to ITI Ltd, Bhubaneswar and they have installed a 10kw Hybrid rooftop solar system with 4 hours of battery backup. The project has been commissioned at a cost of Rs 7, 86,000, the press release added.
