Ajmer, Bikaner, Alwar to get modern street lighting

With the vision of ‘energy saved is energy generated’, the cities of Ajmer, Bikaner and Alwar are all set to introduce Energy Saving Companies (ESCO) based street lighting system, directed at reducing cost and consumption of electricity.The Jaipur Municipal Corporation also contemplating to follow suit.Experts are of the view that apart from reducing the power consumption by half, this project would be economical and more illuminating than the traditional streetlights.The state government had earlier directed all local bodies and urban improvement trusts (UITs) to adopt to ESCO-based energy saving projects under which all streetlights would be replaced by CFLs and specialised electrical panels by March 2009. The new system is based on the public private partnership (PPP) model, the private companies are expected to maintain and manage the street lighting for the period specified by the respective urban local body (ULB). In addition, the ULBs are supposed to encourage energy saver systems with central monitoring system and nonconventional energy equipment like solar lighting in municipal parks and offices. “In view of government guidelines, we have identified certain areas in Jaipur from where we would kickstart the ESCO project on a pilot basis and slowly extend it to the whole city. The ESCOs have guaranteed to not only reduce the consumption but also remit some percentage of their earning back to the local body. They will also invest in replacements and maintenance of devices and thereby the ULBs have nothing to invest,” according to Akhil Arora, CEO JMC and Director Local Bodies (DLB) More than 90% old panels and bulbs have been replaced and 75% of electric panels for the purpose have been fixed in Ajmer till date and soon the city would fully implement the new system. Sources have confirmed that the incumbent ESCO in Ajmer have promised to reduce the consumption by 56% and also to give rebate of 12% from their profit. “The new system works on a unique model through which the ESCO takes into consideration notional estimation of monthly bills of a ULB and presuppose it to be 100%. Out of which 50% of that notional amount will be paid to the respective power discoms, and out of the remaining 50%, certain agreed percentage amount would be given back to the ULB and keeping the rest with them.” said Pradeep Nathani, Project Incharge, DLB. On the similar lines, the ESCOs in Bikaner and Alwar have also promised to reduce the power consumption by 50% and 57% respectively. It has been reliably learnt that all the remaining ULBs are soon to graduate to the new system of street lighting and illumination.