Green dream: Stronger solar power network for Mumbai’s Don Bosco schools

Don Bosco Organisation, which runs five schools and one college in Mumbai, plans to move towards a zero energy setup — reducing the use of coal for electricity and increasing the consumption of solar energy by 60%.

Mumbai receives 300 days of sunlight a year, making it easily possible to move away from the usual carbon-emitting process of burning coal and gas for electricity. At 3,000 megawatt (MW) a year, the city consumes a major part of the energy generated in Maharashtra. A two bedroom-kitchen household in Mumbai daily uses 8 (kilowatt) KW power daily.

As part of the plan, the institution and its environmental organisation Green Line will add more solar panels to increase the capacity of their existing solar power network from 160 KW to 260KW. The project is likely to be completed by the end of March. On an average, a 1KW unit costs Rs1 lakh.

“Moving to solar energy is a lucrative and longstanding solution to the environmental problems,” said Father Savio Silveira, director, Green Line. “The initiative is aimed at making educational institutes adopt environment-friendly systems and reduce the use of power from the grid. Electricity generation is our way of reducing global warming. We hope to achieve a ‘zero energy’ status in the next two years.”

The project was started at Don Bosco High School, Matunga, and Don Bosco Provincial Building (headquarters for the solar panel project) by setting up a 10KW unit in 2015. The group now plans to add another 50KW to the unit.

Similarly, Don Bosco High School and Junior College, Naigaon, and Don Bosco Senior Secondary School, Nerul and Navi Mumbai will add more solar panels, boosting the capacity of the network to 40KW, from the existing 20kW.

The group’s St Dominic Savio High School in Andheri and St Joseph’s High School in Wadala have a 10KW unit, while their Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Kurla gets power from an 110-KW solar panel.

According to experts, a 20KW unit helps bring down the electricity bill for a month by 30%, while a 60KW unit reduces it by 70%. The 110-KW unit at Kurla, which is spread across a large area, has high power consumption and will bring down electricity costs by 25% a month.

Father Flouvi Dsouza, principal, Don Bosco High School and Junior College, Naigaon, said, “The new rooftop setup will take care of 70% of our electricity needs. As we have frequent power cuts in the area, this initiative acts as a supplement and also reduces diesel consumption of generators.”

Three more new installations — at Don Bosco Technical Institute, Walwanda, Jawhar, Thane district (40 kW), Don Bosco High School, Lonavala (40 kW) and Don Bosco Private Industrial Training Institute, Chinchwad, Pune with a 50 kW setup — will be completed by March 31.

“The electricity system of cities like Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune can be changed if buildings start producing their own electricity and move towards the concept of zero energy homes and schools,” said Ranjan Banerjee, head of the department, department of energy science and engineering, IIT-Bombay. “Don Bosco’s efforts are commendable as they are not only using a cost-effective renewable energy system, but are reducing a large carbon footprint.”

Box: STATE GOVERNMENT APPLAUDS THE INITIATIVE

“When educational institutes, which nurture future opinion-makers, take up green ideas, it automatically leads to a very bright future, both in terms of renewable energy and through talent. It is an extremely laudable initiative as these students, some of whom will be future policy-makers, are sensitised about the need for a cleaner environment,” said Satish Gavai, principal secretary, state environment department.

Box: Use green modes of energy: Why you should care

Unlike generation of electricity from coal, gas and oil that produce carbon emissions, production of solar and wind energy does not cause pollution

Wind and solar energy are free sources of renewable energy and can be used even in remote areas, where electricity from the grid cannot be accessed

Street lights, calculators and other low power-consuming devices can also be powered using the energy

While building the equipment to convert solar or wind energy into electricity or hot water is expensive, the cost can be recovered over time as there is no expenditure on the source.

Box: 10 simple energy-saving measures at home:

Switch off lights and fans when not in use

Ensure that the washing machine is used only to wash a full load of clothes

Make sure your AC is set at 24 degrees C and not lower

Do not keep the door of your fridge open for long periods

Keep your computer or laptop on sleep mode when not in use

Use energy-efficient star-rated appliances.

Always turn off all electrical appliances from the main switch and not from the remote control

Set the temperature of your fridge to medium for optimum cooling

Use LED bulbs to reduce energy consumption by upto 80%, compared to conventional lights

Use the leftover heat of your microwave to keep food warm for up to 30 minutes

Source:hindustantimes