INDORE: The country’s second sludge hygienization plant in Indore’s Kabitkhedi area is all set to run on solar energy.
Indore Smart City Development Limited (ISCDL) is setting up a dedicated solar power plant at the treatment plant to reduce power consumption by up to 50 per cent.
“A 180KW mega solar power plant has been planned to reduce electricity cost in the newly established sludge hygienization plant,” ISCDL chief executive officer Rishav Gupta told TOI.
Gupta said that the monthly electricity cost of the sludge treatment facility, which is borne by ISCDL is between Rs2 lakh and Rs2.5 lakh.
“The solar power plant, installation of which has already begun on the rooftop of the sludge treatment plant in Kabitkhedi area at an estimated cost of Rs77 lakh, will generate around 22,500 units of electricity in a month, and around Rs1.34 lakh in monthly electricity bill could be saved,” claimed Gupta, while adding that they aim to complete installation of this solar power plant and make it operational within a month or so.
He said that the agency entrusted with the contract for installation of the solar power plant will maintain the facility for the next five years. “We will save around Rs12-14 lakh through this mega solar power plant in a year and recover the amount invested for its installation in the next six years,” he pointed out.
ISCDL will not only benefit from the electricity generated from this mega solar power plant, but it also aims at using the same power plant to generate carbon credits.
“We will be registering this solar power plant project under the VCS (verified carbon standard, USA) programme, and hope to generate around 1800 carbon credits annually,” added Gupta.
Indore is the second city in the country after Ahmedabad to establish a sludge hygienization plant for treating dry sewage sludge using high energy gamma radiation from Co-60 gamma sources, officials pointed out.
The plant was established by ISCDL with the help of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in around two years and made functional early this year.
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