Solar lights to illuminate Mumbai streets from March

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has proposed to install solar panels on nearly 50,000 out of 1.25 lakh lampposts across the city. The proposal will be tabled for approval before the civic standing committee on Wednesday. According to the plan, BMC will carry out the work in three zones. In zone one that comprises the island city and the western suburbs, BMC will install around 6,490 solar-powered streetlights while in zone two comprising L, M(east) and M (West) wards, around 21,148 such streetlights will be installed. Wards N, S and T will come under zone three where 22,360 streetlights will run on solar power.The 50,000 lampposts identified are relatively smaller and have a height of a few metres. They are usually found on college campuses, in slum areas and along small roads. A solar panel measuring around one-and-a-half-foot will be mounted on each lamppost. These panels will generate power to light 24watt bulbs.
"Streetlights along main roads and arterial roads like expressways are about nine metres high with a power component of about 200 watts. These require huge solar panels and it is not feasible to mount such huge panels on streetlights along the main roads," said an official attached to the mechanical and electrical engineering department of the BMC. He also said that the solar-powered steet lamps will light up places like slums and garden walkways where there is no electricity.The lights will have automatic mechanism for switching them on and off.
Rs 1 crore would be needed in Zone I and Rs 2.25 crore for Zone II and III for the solar street lamp project.The work on the same is expected to be completed by the March 2010.