Surat is all set to shine as it aims to become the first solar city in India. It plans to achieve this target by 2021.The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) will soon install a floating solar plant at Gopi Talav. It will also set up solar panels on the terrace of 52 school buildings in the city.

Tapping into unconventional sources of energy like solar, wind or nuclear energy is the need of the hour. The floating solar plant at Gopi Talav is expected to generate 100 KW of solar power. An SMC officer said that this project will help to bring down the electricity bills as well as create awareness about solar energy.

In another venture, the SMC had launched a project to make its schools environment-friendly. 52 out of 234 schools run by the Nagar Prathmik Shikshan Samiti (NPSS) have been chosen for this campaign. Solar panels will be installed atop these schools that will generate power and supply it to a 200KW plant. The schools will use only LEDs and the solar power generated will be used to light up LED bulbs and run fans in the school.

Over the period of last two years, SMC had set up rooftop solar power plants that generate  79 lakh units of electricity annually which helps it to save Rs6 crore in electricity bill.

Under the National Solar Mission, Surat needs to generate 418MW of solar power to become a solar city by 2021. The targets are stiff, but SMC officers are confident that the goal will be achieved in four years with people’s support.