The Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (Anert) on Wednesday for a ‘green power project’ on KAU campuses.
Through this initiative, the KAU is aiming to become the first university in the country to be fully run on green energy. KAU registrar A. Sakeer Husain and ANERT CEO Narendra Nath Veluri signed the MoU in the presence of Agriculture Minister P. Prasad, Revenue Minister K. Rajan, and Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty.
In the first phase, rooftop solar photovoltaic power plants with a combined installed capacity of 600 kilowatts (expected annual energy yield, 7.68 lakh units) will be installed on the KAU main campus at Vellanikkara in Thrissur district, the College of Agriculture at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram, the Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology at Tavanur, Malappuram, and the College of Agriculture at Padannakkad, Kasaragod.
In subsequent phases, the university will scale up the capacity to 10 MW, according to KAU VC B. Ashok. Faculty deans Roy Stephen, Jayan P. R., Director of Extension Jacob John, and Professor and Head of Communication Ani S. Das, were also present.
