IIDGR first in diamond industry to install 34.8 kw solar roof-top plant
SURAT: The International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research (IIDGR), a part of the world’s leading De Beers Group, has become the first international company in the diamond city to have installed a 34.8 kilowatt solar roof at its grading and inscription facility.
In a big step for providing its operations with renewable energy supply, the IIDGR will be generating an average of 56,000 units of electricity each year, there by reducing the heat load of the building by 90 per cent and significantly decreasing the electricity used for air-conditioning.
The IIDGR’s Surat lab is located at the international business centre on the Surat-Dumas road is the first among the diamond industry to use solar power, with the panels being installed on its uniquely curve-shape roof. The solar plan has a 25-year lifecycle and will have paid for itself within five years as a result of the savings on electricity expenditure.
Recently, the diamond city has emerged as India’s leading ‘solar smart city’ as per the bi-monthly newsletter of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India titled Ákshay Urja’/ As per the smart cities guildelines under the ‘Smart Cities Mission’ launched by the Government of India, at least 10 per cent of the smart city’s energy required should be met by solar power.
As per an estimate by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, the rooftop potential of 11,924 mega watt (MW) is found to be distributed amongst various smart cities of the country, of which nearly 418 MW or 3.5 per cent exist in the city of Surat.
President of IIDGR, Jonathan Kendall said, “Over the past two years we’ve measured our carbon footprint and used this information to adapt our business practices in order to reduce our environmental impact and generate cost-savings in our energy and water consumption.”
Kendall added, “Sustainability is key for De Beers and this new solar operation is very much in line with our core beliefs. Meanwhile, the installation of the plant provides financial benefits alongside the positive environmental impact, so we hope to see a continued focus on initiatives such as this across the sector.”
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
