IGNOU Goes Green; Signs MOU with HFM Solar Power

In a bid for the adoption of clean energy, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HFM Solar Power Private Limited, for the installation of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Power Plant on its campus.

The Solar Plant will be built in collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited (IPGCL) and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Management Centre (EEREM) Govt. of NCT Delhi Undertaking .

As per the memorandum, the company will commission a 500 kWp Rootop Solar Plant on a turnkey basis and will operate & maintain it for the next 25 years under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) Model at Zero cost to the University. Under the RESCO model, the MoU said, the power generated from the plant will be supplied at a cost of Rs 3.13 per unit for a period of 25 years.

Solar Power will be provided at tariff rates cheaper than the grid tariffs, which is estimated to save the university approx. Rs. 3 million annually. The solar plant will reduce emissions from grid power and backup diesel generators, and will abate around 650 Tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to planting nearly 32,000 trees.

Deciding to go green, IGNOU had expressed an interest in utilising the vacant spaces on the roofs of its many buildings to harness the power of solar energy and to cater to the electricity demands of the university.

The MoU was signed between the IGNOU Registrar Dr. VB Negi and HFM Solar Power Private Limited, Director Mr. Medhir Jain in the presence of Vice Chancellor Prof.Nageshwar Rao, Pro -Vice Chancellor Prof.Satyakam and other officials of the university.

The power generation from the proposed Solar Plant will not only reduce IGNOU’s power bills, but will also fulfil its “clean energy mission” and reduce their carbon footprint simultaneously, its statement said.