Udaipur and Ajmer Step Ahead to Embrace ‘Smart Sustainable Solutions’
Never before has the requirement for electric-efficiency been met with a determined approach as now, in Rajasthan. In line with CEA’s ‘Smart Cities Mission’- an initiative to create clean and sustainable environment by application of green, money-savvy solutions, Rajasthan replaced 5 Lakh streetlights with LED bulbs, thus becoming the first state to implement Central government’s SLNP (Street Lighting National Programme) in major urban areas.
To trim down energy consumption from 18% to 13% by reducing 10,000 MW of electricity consumed by conventional light sources per annum, Union Ministry’s public energy services corporation, ESSL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited) funded this project, free of charge for the state.
ESSL Managing Director Mr. Saurabh Kumar reported the progress made in Udaipur city. Replacing 35,000 conventional street bulbs with LED lights reduced the peak load by 1,400 KW. With initial investment of Rs. 25 crore (considering the average price of electricity in Rajasthan is Rs. 6.75 per unit), this venture has resulted in economic saving of Rs. 4.4 crore for municipal board. Total energy saved in the process was estimated to be 6.36 million units per annum, making LED lights 51% more efficient than their conventional counterparts. Likewise, Ajmer achieved 58% energy efficiency by saving around Rs. 3.7 crore on electric bill and 4.6 million power units after substituting 33,000 lamps with LED.
A Rough Estimation of Savings Achieved So Far-
Mass substitution of 5 lakh streetlights with LED bulbs has achieved so far total savings of Rs. 60 lakh per day and 152 million units on the whole, making it a highly successful project in the history of India.
Future Endeavours-
Smart LED lights maintain 70% brightness for 50,000 hours and more. The initial cost of replacing fixtures is a bit pricy, but once installed, it requires less maintenance. Moreover, LED is less vulnerable to external factors like humidity and vibrations. Considering these long-term benefits, the authorities are fully committed to adopting wonder bulbs and aims to replace 3.5 crore conventional lights in the entire state by March 2019. Successful implementation of this project will ensure brighter streets, lesser Carbon dioxide emissions and 60% less energy consumption, thus resulting in a cleaner, greener and brighter Rajasthan, in the near future.
