IIT Kharagpur-Arka Renewables Energy College plan solar e-charging station on commercial scale

IIT Kharagpur and Arka Renewables Energy College have submitted a plan to the Department of Science and Technology for setting up solar e-vehicles charging station on a commercial scale in the state. The project will be the first one in the country on this scale, Arka Renewable Energy College chief S P Gonchaudhuri said on the sidelines of an interactive session with BNCCI. “The cost of the project will be Rs 80-100 lakh and we are looking for an ideal location. IIT-Kharagpur will be offering technical support for the project,” Gonchaudhuri told PTI. The station, with 250 kilowatt-hour (Kwh) capacity, will be capable of e-charging upto 500 cars a day, he said. A small e-charging station prototype has been set up in Khargpur for e-rickshaws to demonstrate that it is commercially exploitable. If successful, then the startup cell of DST will assist entrepreneurs in installing such charging stations in the country. With ever-rising pollution and its effect on the environment, the Union government has ambitious plans for e-cars and is procuring such cabs for government departments. If e-vehicles are charged with fossil fuel power, the environment will not benefit and the cycle will be complete only when e-vehicles are charged with renewable power.