Ministry of Defence pushes for use of solar power

The Ministry of Defence’s defence estates department is likely to make off-grid solar power provisions mandatory for large buildings, with provisions for incentives in the form of rebates and space exemptions in order to encourage solar power. The rules would be applicable in the cantonment areas, implied by their inclusion in the recently-released draft of the new building bylaws of defence estates, which are expected to take effect in the first quarter of 2017, after public comment and approval by the MoD. The Pune Cantonment Board is already setting up backup off-grid solar power facilities for its buildings, most notably in its Shankarsheth Road headquarters as well as in the schools run by it. The required photovoltaic cells are largely being subsidised by the Centre. Some cantonment boards are also expected to tie up with solar energy firms.