Hyderabad, Apr 15 (KNN)  Authorities at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) have decided to opt for solar power to overcome regular power cuts and steep electricity bills.

Inaugurating the first solar plant on campus yesterday, vice-chancellor Ramakrishna Ramaswamy said the varsity was planning to set up a 9 MW power farm in a phased manner in order to reduce expenses towards power.

"The unusable area near high tension power lines will be utilised to set up a 9 MW capacity solar power farm," he said.

Rs 6.6 crore would be needed to set up a power plant for generating 1 MW, but the shift to solar power would drastically reduce monthly electric charges of Rs 1 crore in the long run, one of the officials said.
 
As a start, the university has set up a solar plant that will power the Indira Gandhi Memorial Library, one of the largest libraries in the country.  Authorities have said they would extend the facility to other buildings in due course.

Frequent power cuts had become a hindrance for the institution, especially during summer. "The library consumes about 600 units of power per day, costing the university Rs 1 lakh per month towards power charges. The solar plant provides uninterrupted and stable power of 500 units per day and the whole system will last for a minimum period of 25 years," he said.

The solar power plant is one among several developmental measures taken up at the UoH campus. Earlier also, the university took part in energy conservation and nature support measures, including setting up of a solid waste management plant on campus. (KNN)