The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to install solar panels to generate electricity from the 10-km stretch of the Mumbai Coastal Highway project. Aaditya Thackeray, the State Minister of Environment and Minister of Guardianship for the Suburbs of Mumbai, has asked BMC to determine space for solar panels on the coastal road between Nariman Point and Worli, which has been under construction since October 2018.

According to the plan, civic groups must identify spaces on bicycle lanes or barriers (separation lines) that will be built as part of an ongoing coastal road project. Last week, Thackeray and BMC officials revealed the plan when they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on climate change. Thackeray said: “Coastal roads will have more than 90 hectares of green space. We hope to use a variety of measures for carbon sequestration.

First and foremost, we will call for the design of landscapes and trees on a global scale to have dense cities. The forest is enough to capture carbon. There are already bike lanes and walking paths, as well as a huge promenade. I have asked BMC to explore the idea of ​​installing solar panels on the bike lanes or in the middle to see if we can generate solar energy.”

Thackeray added: “However, solar panels will not encroach on any open space. For Mumbai-Nagpur, I have already promoted solar power plants along the highway, so we will have 250 MW of power generation potential. . This is different; we can also supply electricity to the grid.” Similarly, the Maharashtra State Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is building the Mumbai-Nagpur highway, has proposed to install solar panels on the highway, which is expected to be fully opened next year. The plan to install solar panels was proposed by MSRDC in July 2016. The Mumbai Coastal Highway may be the first city road to install solar panels to generate electricity for public consumption. A month ago, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) also signed a memorandum of understanding with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) to conduct a feasibility study/toll plaza construction for the establishment of solar power projects on the available vacant land of NHAI and on the roofs of NHAI buildings And other buildings/structures owned by NHAI.

In Mumbai, the coastal road will be the first city road to install solar panels, and other main roads may also be considered in the future. But at present, the focus of BMC is to materialize about 80% of the total road network in the 2,000-kilometer-long urban road network it handles in the next six to seven years to reduce the threat to the city. Potholes.

Mumbai-based IMK Architects architect Rahul Kadri is working with BMC on the Malabar Hill sidewalk project. He said: “It is a good idea to install solar panels on the bike lane, the central barrier, the top of the tunnel, or the entrance. The tunnel. Tons.

News Source : Hindustan Times