Bhanjanagar: Schools in Ganjam district will harness solar energy to electrify their premises instead of using power from conventional energy sources.
The district administration has taken an initiative to make the high schools energy-independent by installing solar panels, Ganjam Collector Vijaya Amruta Kulange said.
The installation is set to be done from Friday by a Noida-based firm and likely to be completed in the next six months. There are 535 government high schools in the district, officials said.
The district administration will spend over Rs 9 crore for the purpose. Reports said 83 smart schools will be electrified in the first phase while 233 smart schools will be taken up in the second phase.
Later, the rest of the schools will be electrified with solar energy. The smaller schools will have solar power systems of 2kw while the bigger schools will be installed with 4kw solar panel systems.
The district Collector talked to all concerned headmasters, block development officers (BDOs) and other officials in this regard through videoconferencing last week.
As part of this move, 25 high schools under Bhanjanagar block will be electrified through solar panels. The move, however, is likely to hit roadblocks as works on many of the schools upgraded to smart schools are yet to get completed.
Meanwhile, work on transformation of 11 schools into smart schools has started in the second phase in Bhanjanagar block. The state government is providing `45 lakh for upgradation of each school into a smart school.
Moreover, those schools which require more funds will be assisted through block funds.
When contacted, Bhanjanagar BDO Anil Kumar Sethi said the schools will go solar for which funds will be made available from Mo School Abhiyan and Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
The district rural development agency will implement the project.
PNN