PV Array of the 30 kW Power Plant installed at the Taj Mahal, Agra

4.39 The Kentenich Vidya Niketan, Bangalore installed power plants of 9 kW_p aggregate SPV capacity in their premises with support from the Ministry. A project sanctioned during 2000-01 for enhancement of the capacity of the SPV power plants installed at the Bitra Island by 25 kW_p and at Bangaram Island by 40 kW_p in the Lakshadweep Islands continued to be under implementation. Similarly the project sanctioned during 2001-02 for installation of a 10 kW_p SPV power plant at the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi is under implementation.

4.40 As per the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the Archeological Survey of India installed a 30 kW_p SPV power plant for its air pollution monitoring laboratory at Taj Mahal, Agra with partial financial support from MNES. The power plant was installed and commissioned by the public sector Central Electronics Limited, Sahibabad, UP.

4.41 Four SPV power plants of 25 kW_p capacity each in Mizoram and three SPV power plants of aggregate 9.2 kW_p capacity in Arunachal Pradesh (all sanctioned during 2000-01) and two SPV Power plants of aggregate 14.7 kW_p capacity in Sikkim (sanctioned during 2001-02) are also under implementation.

4.42 A pilot project sanctioned during 2001- 02 for installation of 170 solar street lighting systems of special design at Moreh town on the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur with some support from MPLAD funds was completed during the year.

4.43 The Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC), Tilonia, District Ajmer, Rajasthan has been sanctioned a project for installation of 10 Nos. of SPV power plants, each of 2.5 kW_p SPV capacity, in its field units / laboratories in seven states. The installation of such power plants would facilitate field-testing, repair and maintenance of SPV systems installed by SWRC in these states.

4.44 The programme implementing organisations are responsible for submission of monthly progress reports during the implementation phase and periodic reports on the performance of the systems. The field installations are inspected by MNES officials from the Regional Offices. The field inspection reports received from regional offices of the Ministry indicated a very high level of functionality of the systems and user satisfaction.

4.45 A performance evaluation study undertaken by the Anna University, Chennai for the Ministry for the project implemented during last year for electrification of 129 remote scheduled caste and scheduled tribe colonies in Kerala showed a very high level of performance of the power plants and solar home systems installed under the project. The study covered 1536 solar home systems out of a total of 5100 systems and all the 11 village level SPV power plants installed under the project. The beneficiaries were using 98.7 % of the systems surveyed. The study recommended the extension of the programme to other unelectrified remote villages.

Solar Power Plant for lighting, installed by CEL, India, in the Eco-Habitats in Tyrona National Park, Colombia

4.46 Independent physical inspections by School of Energy Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, Eastern Regional Chapter of the Solar Energy Society of India, Kolkata, and the Forum of Scientists, Engineers and Technologists, (FOSET), Kolkata of all the solar home lighting systems installed in West Bengal by WBREDA under the 2000-01 programme and some of the systems installed under the 2001-02 programme have shown more than 98 % functionality of the systems.

4.47 The Ministry continued to encourage implementing organisations to avail of the soft loan scheme from IREDA for installation of SPV systems and power plants.

In addition, a soft loan at 7.5 % interest rate is provided by IREDA for manufacture of silicon material and solar cells. Schemes for solar generators and building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and interest subsidy scheme for users of SPV systems were introduced during the current year.