BMTC to install solar panels in its office building

By NewsGram Staff Writer

Bengaluru: Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is all set to add one more initiative in its attempts to go green. It is planning to install solar panels on the terrace of its main office building at Shantinagar in Bengaluru, according to a report published in Vijaya Karnataka, a Kannada daily.

The office building in Shantinagar consists of varied departments, hotels, shopping malls, shops, and Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC) bus-stand. Further, BMTC has lent premises for other departments like excise department.

The combined electrical consumption of all these entities would be pegged at around 3.7 lakh units per month costing around 32-33 lakh rupees per month.

In order to reduce the expenditure towards electric bills, the BMTC has decided to use the space available on the terrace of its building and has decided to call tenders from solar companies.

The area available on the terrace is around 1.2 lakh square feet and BMTC hopes to generate around 1 lakh units of electricity per month from the solar panels. The cost of installation of these solar panels is expected to be around 5-6 crores. BMTC also intends to sell any excess electricity generated to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).

The solar company which would get the tender to install the solar panels is also expected to run the unit for 15 years, after which the BMTC itself will maintain the unit. During these 15 years, the solar company will sell the electricity to BMTC at rates which are 1-2 rupees lesser per unit than what it will charge BESCOM. This is expected to save lakhs of rupees per month for BMTC.

This is not the first green initiative that BMTC has taken. Previously, it had introduced India's first Electric Bus in 2014. Further, it has been working towards Solar charged buses as well.