Machhiwara village gets state’s first solar-powered cowshed

Ludhiana: A government cowshed in Burj Powat village in Machhiwara has been provided with the state’s first solar system and biogas plant by the Punjab Energy Development Authority (Peda). The system — having a capacity of generating 10kw energy daily — has been made functional, and officials claimed it would take almost 85% load off the cowshed. Apart from this, the biogas plant will help make alternate arrangements of cooking for staff working in the cowshed, and for lighting arrangements too, solar lights are being installed.

The cowshed comes under the District Animal Welfare Society, and is spread over 17 acres of land. Around 260 cattle — mostly stray bulls — are kept there. Peda officials informed that the total load of the cowshed is around 15kw, of which 10kw would be generated through the solar panels. Roughly speaking, one kilowatt is equal to four units of energy, which means the panels will generate 40 units daily, and 1,200 units in a month.

Similarly, a biogas plant with a capacity of six cubic metres has been installed at the cowshed, and this gas will be used for cooking by employees. This will help save two LPG cylinders a month, and 24 in a year. To run the plant, 150 tonnes of cowdung is required, which is available in the cowshed.

Peda district manager Anupam Nanda said: “Solar panels have become functional at the cowshed, and this is perhaps the first such system in the entire state where a solar system has been installed in a cowshed.” He said it would help utilize solar energy instead of electricity, and maintenance of the cows would take place properly when there is monetary saving to the government.

Meanwhile, Amit Jain from Dhyan Foundation — an NGO that looks after the cowshed — said: “It is a good step taken by Peda to get solar panels installed here, because the government will be able to do some saving, and proper attention will be paid to cattle.” He said they have employed six to seven people there, for which they are not charging anything from the government, but paying salary to the employees.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes