The Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg will now be powered by solar energy. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), in collaboration with a private renewable energy company, has initiated the installation of solar panels on the highway.
In the initial phase, these solar panels have been installed at Karjalad in Buldhana district and Mehkar interchange in Washim district. This 701-kilometer-long expressway, connecting Nagpur and Mumbai, opened on December 11, 2022, and has since been used by over 25 million vehicles.
The idea of solar powering the highway was conceived during its planning. The plan is to generate a total of 204 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy, which will be used not only to light the highway but also to be supplied to the grid through power purchase agreements.
In the first phase, arrangements have been made to generate a total of 5 MW of electricity in Karjalad, Buldhana, and Mehkar, Washim. Of this, 3 MW will be from Karjalad, and 2 MW in Mehkar has started generating electricity from Monday onwards.
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