New Delhi: REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Under it, RECPDCL will install grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at 76 ICAR institutes spread across 24 States and Union Territories, according to a statement issued on Thursday.
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The systems will have a combined capacity of 11,109.87 kW, or about 11.1 MW, and will be delivered "on a turnkey basis". The statement said they are expected to produce "approximately 1.73 crore units of clean electricity annually." That output, it added, would contribute "to reduced dependence on conventional energy" while "promoting sustainable energy use across India's agricultural research infrastructure."
ICAR will pay for the projects. RECPDCL will act as the "designated Turnkey Implementation Partner" and will carry out the work through its empanelled EPC-cum-O&M agencies. Their scope covers "design, engineering, supply, installation, testing and commissioning," followed by "five years of comprehensive Operation & Maintenance (O&M)."
RECPDCL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of REC Limited, a Maharatna CPSE under the Ministry of Power. Its role here comes from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which has designated it the Scheme Implementation Partner (SIP) for Government Building Solarisation under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. ICAR is India's apex body for coordinating agricultural research and education. It sits under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Jaspal Singh Kushwaha, General Manager, Renewable Division, RECPDCL, and Kumar Rajesh, Director (GAC), ICAR, signed the MoA. Present at the signing were Dr ML Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR; Sandeep Sarkar, Additional Secretary, DARE and Financial Advisor, ICAR; Gyanendra D. Tripathi, Additional Secretary, DARE and Secretary, ICAR; and Prince Dhawan, CEO, RECPDCL.
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The statement called the agreement "a significant step towards accelerating the adoption of renewable energy across government institutions." It said the initiative supports the government's "broader objectives of clean energy transition, energy efficiency and sustainable development."