‘To cater to 20% of centre’s requirements’
The Venture Centre — run under the aegis of CSIR-National Chemical laboratory (NCL), with the help of two of its own incubate companies — has set up a solar farm on its premises. The 55 kW solar-powered farm, inaugurated on Tuesday, is pitched to cater to 20 per cent of the centre’s day-time energy requirements. Launched under the Clean Energy Initiative, the set up is estimated to save upto Rs 10.20 lakh annually on the centre’s power bills.
Speaking at the inauguration, AK Nangia, director, NCL, said, “Switching to renewable energy resources will be pertinent in addressing the future energy requirements.”
Two incubate companies — Gram Oorja Pvt Ltd and Pratiti Pvt Ltd — have designed and developed the farm, comprising 170 roof-top panels, while International Biotech Park (IBPL) supported it with Rs 30 lakh, of the total Rs 40 lakh incurred, under their corporate social responsibility funding.
An official from Gram Oorja said, “The challenge for setting up this farm was finding enough space where adequate sunrays would be available naturally. Being a campus filled with tall green lush trees, finding the right space was a challenge.”
So far, Gram Oorja has undertaken solar power-enabled projects in over 45,000 villages and tribal belts across Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, among others.
Premnath, director, Venture Centre, said, “One of the toughest tasks for major Indian cities is to propel the conversion of clean energy resources into technology. This is one such effort to promote renewable energy.”
In addition, the authorities at the centre are also planning to expand their services, which will provide a platform for newer start-ups to test their prototypes.
A senior official from Venture Centre said, “We are proposing to set up a 3kW test facility, wherein advanced prototypes can be tested upon.”
Source: indianexpress
