NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam commissions the first solar rooftop project at IIT Jodhpur

The first rooftop solar photovoltaic plant by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN), an entirely owned subsidiary of NTPC, has been put into operation at IIT Jodhpur in Rajasthan, according to a statement from the ministry of power. The NVVN has also developed a 1 MW grid-connected solar plant with a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement using the RESCO concept.

"Under the RESCO model for implementing rooftop solar installation, a renewable energy service company ("RESCO"), designs, builds, funds, and operates the entire solar power plant (roof or ground-mounted), consumer pays the developer against assured monthly unit generation per kW, and DISCOM adjusts generated units in consumer's electricity bill," the ministry said.

The installation is installed on the roofs of 14 structures on the IIT campus. It will produce about 14.9 lakh units annually and provide 15% of IIT Jodhpur's electricity needs. According to the report, the rooftop installation will cut 1,060 tonnes of carbon emissions year.

In order to take advantage of the potential of power trading in the nation, NTPC established NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited in 2002. According to the most recent Central Electricity Regulatory Commission rule, NVVN has the highest Category 'I' power trading licence.