A district in India has just become the first of the country’s union territories to be 100% powered by solar energy.

Diu, which has a population of roughly 56,000 people, now holds a solar capacity of 13 MW; 3 MW of which are generated from rooftop units, while the other 10 MW are generated through regular facilities.

Before Diu started building its own electrical infrastructure, the district depended on a neighboring territory to provide for their energy needs. In addition to being more expensive, this tactic also resulted in huge line losses throughout Diu.

Milind Ingle, who is the executive engineer of the territory’s electricity departmen, told Times of India: “For water and electricity, the Union territory was solely dependent on the Gujarat government. To overcome this limitation, the administration of the Union territory decided to set up solar power plants in Diu.”

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According to the Times of India, residents of Diu have seen a 12% reduction in their electrical fees since the district started generating their own power. In fact, Diu’s solar facilities are able to generate far more energy than the district even demands.

“Diu’s peak-time demand for electricity goes up to 7 MW and we generate about 10.5 MW of electricity from solar energy daily. This is way more than the consumption demand requirement.”

Plus, Diu can now serve as an example for the rest of the country’s sustainability goals.

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