Shipping ministry to solarise all lighthouses by year-end

The Directorate General of Lighthouse & Lightships (DGLL), a subordinate organisation under the ministry of shipping, maintains 193 lighthouses, which provide support to mariners transiting in coastal waters of India.

Most of these Lighthouses are currently operating on the conventional source of energy, ie, electricity and diesel generators which consume fossil fuel and emit high amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) thus increasing greenhouse effect and causing air pollution.

Generation of 1 Mega Watt Hour (MWh) power through fossil fuel leads to emission of approximately 900 kg of Co2. In order to reduce CO2 emission, DGLL has decided to replace the source of energy utilised at lighthouses to renewable source and started harnessing solar energy to operate its lighthouses.

Till date 176 lighthouses have been fully solarised. The directorate has planned to achieve complete solarisation of all the lighthouses by 31 December 2016. With this complete solarisation, approximately 1.5 MWh energy will be generated, which will amount to approximately reducing 6,000 kg of greenhouse gases per day.

On achieving complete solarisation, all the lighthouses under DGLL will be operating on green energy. This is a step in line with government's initiative to maximise the use of green energy for protection of environment besides making the lighthouses operate on a reliable, resilient and renewable energy system and reduction of global warming emissions.