Three government complexes went green from the first week of March. In a first for the township, solar panels have been installed on the roofs of buildings housing government offices in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint.

Nagarayan, the working headquarters of the state urban development department behind Bikash Bhavan in DF Block, Nirman Bhavan, another DF Block building that houses several government offices, and the urban development department’s inspection bungalow complex near Telephone Bhavan will soon boast of grid-connected photo-voltaic solar power plants atop their roofs. The inspection bungalow has two buildings in its complex. 

According to sources in the electrical department of the urban development department’s central mechanical division, the rooftop solar power plant atop Nirman Bhavan has 50KW capacity, while the Nagarayan Bhavan plant will produce 30KW of electricity. The power plants at the inspection bungalow and its annexe building can produce 25KW and 10KW respectively. While the power generated will not be enough to support the entire buildings’ needs, it will contribute a portion and help reduce their electric bills. 

“The solar plants will be connected to the power grid of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) that provides electricity in Salt Lake. They will replace our existing meters with import-export measuring devices such that the electricity generated by the solar panels will be used to power our buildings on working days while on weekends the power generated will be exported to the grid of WBSEDCL,” said a senior official.

The step was taken after the central urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, on his recent visit to Calcutta, stressed on building smart cities powered by clean energy. He had instructed all Central Public Works Department (CPWD) buildings in the city to start relying on solar power to cut their dependency on conventional power sources. 
Besides the four buildings that have now started using solar power, Salt Lake has many other CPWD-built complexes, such as a residents’ quarters near Baisakhi, the CGO Complex and Telephone Bhavan. More buildings are expected to turn green eventually. 
The total cost for setting up solar power plants in the three complexes is close to Rs 97 lakh. The bill was footed jointly by the state and the central governments.
“This project is close to our hearts as we feel that we are giving something back to society and ensuring a better future for our next generation,” an official, who is closely related to the project, said. 
“We will surely reap the benefits of setting up these panels in the next 10 years. Moreover, it is a one-time investment and will benefit not just us but others as well,” said another official.