The New Indian Express 01.10.2010
Solar lamps for Hi-Tec City flyover
HYDERABAD: The Hi-Tec City flyover, to open for traffic from October 2 will be the first flyover in the country to have solar-powered street lights.
The solar lamps were installed by Tata BP Solar India Ltd.
The only other flover in the country which uses solar energy is in Bangalore, though it is only partially lit with solar lights.
59 lamps have been installed, out of which 49 are on the flyover and five fitted on two obligatory spans at a cost of over Rs 40 lakh.
Though the installation cost of solar lighting is slightly expensive, the money invested can be recovered eventually, as they are energy-conserving.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) officials said the solar lamps will have 2 days back-up power. Monthly savings from using these ecofriendly lamps will be around Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 and annual savings of Rs 3 to Rs 3.6 lakh.
In case it is cloudy and solar lamps fail to trap sufficient solar energy for more than two days, HMDA has installed 16 conventional electric lamps as a precautionary measure.
Officials said work on the flyover is almost complete, except for laying of bitumen roads which had been stalled due to heavy rains. All pending work is expected to be completed by Friday.
