(IGP) Special Current Affairs Material for IAS (Pre) 2013 - PIB "Topic:Solar Cities On The Anvil"

Chapter: Gist of Press Information Bureau Articles

Topic: Solar Cities On The Anvil

Q. "Solar Cities"?

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has initiated the programme of ‘Development of Solar Cities’. The programme has been designed to support/encourage Urban Local Bodies to prepare a Road Map to guide their cities in becoming ‘renewable energy cities’ or ‘Solar Cities’.

• The Solar City programme aims to consolidate all the efforts of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and address the energy problem of the urban areas in a holistic manner.

• The various initiatives of the Ministry which include promoting solar water heating systems in homes, hotels, hostels, hospitals and industry; deploying Solar Photo Voltaic(SPV) systems/devices in urban areas for demonstration and awareness creation; establishing ‘Akshya Urja Shops’; designing Solar Buildings and promoting urban and industrial waste/ biomass to energy projects would be streamlined under the programme.

• In a Solar City all types of renewable energy based projects like solar, wind, biomass, small hydro, waste to energy etc. will be installed in an energy efficient manner as well as commensurate with the requirements of the city. The Solar City aims at minimum 10% reduction in projected demand of conventional energy and increasing energy production through renewable energy.

• A total of 60 cities/towns were identified to be supported for development as Solar Cities during the 11th Plan period. At least one city in each State to a maximum of five cities in a State may be supported by the Ministry as Solar City.

Q. What are the aims of Solar City Programme ?

• To enable and empower Urban Local Governments to address energy challenges at City - level.

• To provide a framework and support to prepare a Master Plan including assessment of current energy situation, future demand and action plans.

• To build capacity in the Urban Local Bodies and create awareness among all sections of civil society.

• To involve various stakeholders in the planning process.

• To oversee the implementation of sustainable energy options through public - private partnerships. The programme seeks to assist the Urban Local Governments financially as well as technically.

• The master plan of the city will include the base-line for energy consumption during the year 2008, demand forecasting for the years 2013 and 2018, sector-wise strategies and action plan for implementation of renewable energy projects so as to mitigate the fossil fuel consumption in the city. Proper awareness generation activities would be included in the scheme.

Q. What are the Financial Assistance under Solar Cities scheme?

• Under the programme, financial assistance up to Rs. 50.00 Lakhs per city/town is provided depending upon population and initiatives decided to be taken by the City Council/ Administration as per the following details:

• Up to Rs 10.00 lakhs for preparation of a Master Plan within a year along with few implementable Detailed Project Reports.

• Up to Rs. 10.00 lakhs for setting up of Solar City Cell and it’s functioning for a period of three years.

• Up to Rs. 10.00 lakhs for oversight of implementation during three years.

• Up to Rs. 20 lakhs for capacity building and other promotional activities to be utilized in three years.

• In addition, the financial and fiscal incentives available under various programmes of the Ministry are also applicable on the Solar Cities for installation of renewable energy projects, systems and devices.

Q. Names of Solar Cities?

An in-principle approval has been given to 48 Cities for Solar Cities which include
-Agra, Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh,
-Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Surat in Gujarat,
-Nagpur, Kalyan- Dombiwali, Thane, Nanded, Aurangabad and Shirdi in Maharashtra,
-Indore, Gwalior, Bhopal and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh,
-Imphal in Manipur,
-Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland,
-Dehradun, Haridwar-Rishikesh,
-Chamoli-Gopeshwar in Uttarakhand, ,
-Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana,
-Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu,
-Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh,
-Bilaspur and Raipur in Chhattisgarh,
-Agartala in Tripura,
-Guwahati and Jorhat in Assam,
-Hubli-Dharwad and Mysore in Karnataka,
-Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in Kerala,
-Amritsar, Ludhiana and SAS Nagar Mohali in Punjab,
-Ajmer, Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan,
-Bhubaneswar in Orissa,
-Aizawl in Mizoram,
-Panji City in Goa,
-Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh,
-Hamirpur and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and
-Howrah in West Bengal and
-Chandigarh.

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