Solar water heating may become mandatory

After a series of initiatives on green energy, the Centre is mulling a proposal to make the solar water heating system mandatory in the country.

“We are focusing more on renewable energy as our dependency on the fossil fuels is nearly 85 per cent. We are now making the solar water heating system mandatory as it is very efficient,” said Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, who was here on a day’s visit.

After the country’s top religious places like Tirupati and Brahm Kumari’s temple in Rajasthan began community kitchens using solar lights, the famous Golden Temple in Amritsar is next in line to start its daily “langar” (community kitchen) on solar heating system. Similarly, the Chardham area comprising top religious shrines like Badrinath in Uttarakhand would also be using solar lights, he said.

Stating that the solar lights are very economical, Abdullah also said he has found that a series of five star hotels in India which have been using solar light heating systems, their electricity bills have been halved now. The government is now holding talks with the hotel associations in this regard.

Already, the new government buildings are using solar lights heating system. “And now, we are launching a fresh campaign in schools where these solar lights would be used,” he said. Even the parliament house complex would also soon be lit up with solar lights only, he said.

According to a study, it has been estimated that solar water heating systems with one million sq meter of collector area may result in peak saving of 500-Mw of power.