Mr Reddy, agreeing in principle for the use of ECIL developed new solar lighting system in housing colonies under ITDAs and remote areas, directed the Managing Director of A P Housing Corporation Sunil Sharma to formulate detailed proposals in consultation with the ECIL officials in this regard. Earlier, making a power point presentation, the General Manager of ECIL G V Prasada Rao said the new lighting system which works on solar energy would illuminate a 10ft X 12 ft room, which would be sufficient for reading and writing. It supplies 12 hours lighting per single charge and works even under cloudy conditions. Elaborating the advantages of the new solar system, Mr Prasada Rao said that while the conventional bulb's life was 1000 hours, the low cost and solid state bulb's life under the solar system was more than 100,000 hours(20 years).
It was also easy to install, virtually maintenance free, safe (shock free) and environment friendly compared to the conventional lighting system, he added. The new solar lighting system costs around Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 and the Ministry of Conventional Energy, GoI, would provide 40 per cent subsidy of the cost, the Chief Minister was told.
