Scaling-up solar PV in water supply services in Rajkot, India

The Rajkot Municipal Corporation, with support from the CapaCITIES project, installed a 145 kWp solar PV system at the Aji water treatment plant in Rajkot, India. The project cost INR 8.5 million and was co-financed, which increased municipal ownership and sustainability. The system provides nearly one-fifth of the plant's power and mitigated 184 tonnes of CO2 between July 2018 and August 2019. Real-time monitoring of savings and emissions has encouraged the city to plan further expansions, including a 250 kWp system at the Rajyadhar wastewater treatment plant.

• The Rajkot Municipal Corporation installed a 145 kilowatt-peak (kWp) grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the Aji water treatment plant, consisting of 452 panels with a 315 kWp capacity. The system can generate 580 units of electricity per day and approximately 211,700 units per year, which covers nearly one-fifth of the plant's power needs.
• The solar installation at the Aji plant has significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Between July 2018 and August 2019, the system mitigated 184 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
• The project was co-financed by the Rajkot municipality and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s Capacity Building for Low Carbon and Climate Resilient City Development (CapaCITIES) project. The total cost was INR 8.5 million ($111,725 as of 23 April 2020), with the municipality paying INR 4.5 million ($59,148) for 75 kWp and CapaCITIES paying INR 4 million (around $52,576) for 70 kWp.
• The use of online software for real-time monitoring of power generation, monetary savings, and avoided emissions helped create a 'business case' that encouraged the municipal corporation to scale up the solution. This has led to a proposal for a 250 kWp system at the Rajyadhar wastewater treatment plant and a feasibility study for other plants in Rajkot, which has 47 water treatment plants consuming 45 million kilowatt hours of electricity.
• Sustainability and operational continuity were supported by a co-financing model that increased municipal ownership and accountability, as well as a ten-year maintenance contract backed by a bank guarantee from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.

APA

Verma, S. (2020). Scaling-up solar PV in water supply services in Rajkot, India. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aji-Solar-Case-Study-2.pdf

Chicago

Verma, Simant. Scaling-up solar PV in water supply services in Rajkot, India. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2020. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aji-Solar-Case-Study-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Verma |first1=Simant |title=Scaling-up solar PV in water supply services in Rajkot, India |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=May 2020 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aji-Solar-Case-Study-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{verma2020scalingup, author = {Verma, Simant}, title = {{Scaling-up solar PV in water supply services in Rajkot, India}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aji-Solar-Case-Study-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }