GO GREEN: Solar panels on the rooftop of the state secretariat.

Bhubaneswar, April 10: The state government is exploring the possibility of tapping solar energy for water supply and irrigation.

A meeting of the officials of the state housing and urban development and the water resources departments was held in this regard at the secretariat today.

Sources in the state science and technology department said that as a part of the project, solar water pumps would be introduced in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar on a pilot basis. The solar panels of the pumps will not only be able to run during power cuts, but also be environment-friendly.

The science and technology department has asked the water resources department to furnish details of water requirement, location and capacity of water plants in the twin cities to frame a scheme before introducing the solar water pumps.

A solar water pump runs on solar energy through photo voltaic cells. Sources said most of the pumps would be able to deliver about 1,40,000 litres of water every day.

Under the solar power programme of the Union ministry of new and renewable energy, every state government is entitled to get a subsidy of 30 per cent for introduction of solar energy.

Earlier, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, along with the Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (Oreda), had decided to introduce streetlights on two major stretches — OUAT Square to Delta Square and AG Square to Acharya Vihar Square.

The housing and urban development department has also decided to make it mandatory to install solar water heating and lighting systems in private houses and offices in Bhubaneswar.

“There has been rapid improvement in the solar technology and the cost of the solar panels has also reduced significantly. All these things provide good opportunities to utilise solar power for water supply and irrigation purposes,” said deputy director (technical) of Oreda K.P. Koner.

Sources in the Oreda said states such as Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh had introduced solar water pumps and the Odisha government would take a look at the performance of those states.

Bhubaneswar is also one among the 60 cities of the country to be included in the solar city project funded by the Union ministry of new and renewable energy.

Oreda, the nodal agency of the project, had already submitted a detailed project report for the project’s implementation.

Environmentalists also feel that the city needed to conserve energy by switching over to renewable energy sources.

“The time has come to tap the potential of solar energy. The energy requirement of Bhubaneswar has increased over the years. So, to save the environment, residents should be encouraged to tap the potential of solar energy,” said Bijay Mishra, an environmentalist.