The Hindu 02.04.2013
Erode Corporation to go in for energy-efficient street lighting
To be implemented on a public-private partnership mode.
The Erode Corporation will soon replace conventional
fluorescent lamps with energy-efficient LED lamps for street lighting in
the district. According to sources, the process of selecting the
contractor is nearing completion.
The civic body has
come up with the plan as its electricity expenditure particularly for
street lighting continues to grow. It maintains more than 18,500 street
lights and pays over Rs.3.5 crore as electricity charges for street
lighting to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation every
year. Besides, the civic body spends over Rs. 1.5 crore towards the
maintenance of the street lights. The expenditure will grow further as
the civic body has planned to install more street lights in the newly
added areas – four municipalities, two town panchayats and five village
panchayats. “When we complete the installation of street lights in the
added areas, it will increase our total electricity bill by at least 15
to 20 per cent,” a senior official here said.
The
implementation of the energy conservation plan would help civic body
reduce the electricity consumption for street lighting by at least 30 to
35 percent.
According to the plan, the conventional
fluorescent lamps on the streets will be replaced with energy-efficient
LED lamps. It also envisages the installation of illumination control
devices, voltage regulators and other tools across the town to save the
energy. The street light maintenance expenditure will also come down
significantly following the execution of the plan, civic officials said.
The civic body has earmarked a little over Rs. 18 crore for the implementation of the plan on a public-private partnership mode.
“We are now scrutinising the tenders from various firms. The implementation will begin soon,” a senior official says.
The
civic administration is also preparing a proposal to install solar
power generation equipment in its offices as a part of its energy
conservation plan. “The long hours of power outage adversely affects the
administration activities. If we have an alternative power source, it
will improve the efficiency,” a civic official said.
The proposal would be submitted to the government shortly for approval.