Officials from the Maharashtra state located in western-central India has announced plans of replacing CFL streetlights in 43,665 villages with LEDs, reported Moneycontrol.com.
The LED streetlights are estimated to cut energy consumption by 60%, said the state’s Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. If every village streetlights were replaced with 50 LED bulbs that were 60W, it would bring down the additional load in peak hours by 50%, he added.
Under the state’s scheme, the villages will be provided with LED bulbs at 90% subsidy, while the village panchayat raj will pay the remaining 10% cost.
The funds for the lighting upgrade scheme will be made available through District Councils (Zila Panachayat), Member of Parliament (MP) or a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) funds or other schemes, he said. Priority will be given to villages with a population more than 5,000, and villages selected under state government schemes such as GadgeBaba Gram Swachchata Abhiyan. Tribal villages will receive 100% subsidy, he added.
The district councils will survey the demand from villages and pass it over to MahaUrja, who in turn will inspect the technical aspects and convey details including wattage of LED bulbs that need to be used to the district councils, said Bawankule.