India’s tenth least populated city, Diu has become the first city to run completely on solar energy. According to an official release, the smart city runs on 100 percent renewable energy during the daytime, setting a benchmark for other smart cities.
The release further said that till last year, Diu has been importing 73% of its power from Gujarat but with the development of nine-MW solar park and installation of solar panels on the rooftops on 79 government buildings, the city is now generating 1.3 MW of solar electricity manually.
Giving more information of city’s development, an official from the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said, “Diu also offers its residents a subsidy of Rs 10,000-50,000, for installing 1-5-KW rooftop solar panels respectively. The city is saving about 13,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year and due to low-cost solar energy. Apart from this, power tariffs have been cut in the residential category by 10 percent last year and 15 percent this year.”
Talking about various developments in other smart cities, the release said that currently, Bengaluru is working on the implementation of solutions to improve traffic management. On the other hand, ‘Pink City’ Jaipur has planned to start a night bazaar at Chaura Rasta. Under this, Jaipur Smart City Ltd would register up to 700 vendors, who will set up stalls, including eateries, between 9 pm and 1 am at Chaura Rasta. It is said that the project will provide entertainment to citizens after office hours.