Noida: A highrise in Greater Noida West has become the first in the district to install a 500-kWp rooftop solar power panel under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. Commissioned in June at Arihant Ardent, the project will power common facilities such as lifts, corridor lighting, water pumps and other shared utilities. It is expected to reduce the society’s annual common area electricity bill by about Rs 45 lakh.The Rs 2.3-crore plant, supported by a Rs 90-lakh govt subsidy, will not supply electricity to individual flats. The residents of 1,519 units will continue to use separate power connections through their individual prepaid meters. The apartment owners’ association financed the project through an overdraft against its fixed deposit, without imposing any additional charge on residents.The association’s president, Nishith Kant Chaturvedi, claimed it is the first society in NCR to solarise its common-area electrical connections. “Our society consumes nearly 1,000 units a month for the common area operations. We had been discussing a shift to solar panels with Noida Power Company Limited for the past couple of months,” he said. “They facilitated the permissions, installed the grid and we installed the panels on June 30.”Chaturvedi added that the society is expecting to save nearly Rs 40 to 45 lakh a year. “We are expecting that this will reduce the common area power expenses in the longer run,” he said.The society has installed a 500-kilowatt peak (kWp) rooftop solar plant. One kWp refers to the maximum power a solar panel system can generate under ideal, standardised laboratory conditions (for example, on a bright, cloudless, sunny day at 25 degrees Celsius). In India, 1 kWp can produce approximately 4-5 kilowatt-hours of energy under ideal conditions. Actual generation may vary depending on solar irradiation, system performance, weather conditions and operational practices such as module cleaning. The total common area power demand for the society stands at approximately 650 kilowatts.”We are committed to promoting sustainable development and green energy,” the apartment association’s secretary, Lokesh Tyagi, said. “This project is just the beginning of our journey towards implementing more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies.”“Our collaboration played a crucial role in providing necessary approvals and technical support, fostering a smooth execution of the project,” said NPCL spokesperson. “We are thrilled to see the positive steps taken towards sustainable energy. It demonstrates that community-scale rooftop solar systems are not only environmentally responsible but also economically viable investments that deliver long-term benefits to residents while contributing to India’s renewable energy goals.”The discom has seen an increase in applications for installation of solar panels from other highrises in Greater Noida. “Several societies – including Purvanchal Heights AOA, Black Gold Society, Stellar MI Legacy AOA and Rail Vihar Society in Greater Noida – have initiated the process of installing rooftop solar power plants to meet their common area electricity requirements,” said NPCL spokesperson.
