Climate conscious Chembur society decides to do a ‘surya namaskar’

Krishna Mahal CHS has had enough of mounting electricity bills as well as climate change. And it has found the perfect stone for both birds. Emulating the example of several Ghatkopar residential buildings, the Chembur society has got solar panels installed on its rooftop with the help of Avishakti Rooftop Solar Pvt. Ltd.   The 11 storey building has been spending nearly INR 1.12 lakh every year for an average annual consumption of 11,774 units. Now, thanks to the 7.15 kWp solar power plant, which was commissioned last month, it expects to save around INR 1 lakh a year in electricity bills. Society spokesperson V.G. Krishnan says, “A single unit of power costs every household Rs 9.15; and the larger the family, the more the consumption. It finally dawned on us, excuse the pun, how much we were wasting, not just money but also a limited resource. Our society already does wet waste composting and electronic waste recycling, this move will strengthen our eco-friendly measures. So we couldn’t be prouder and happier to have made this switch to solar energy.”   The society’s new solar plant is estimated to generate approximately10,500 units a year, which is within touching distance of its earlier consumption. And financial savings aside, this is akin to planting 344 Teak trees in a lifetime, gushes the environmentally conscious Mr. Krishnan.   Founder-director of Avishakti Rooftop Solar Pvt. Ltd. Animesh Manek is thrilled that more and more people are waking up to the idea of harnessing the sun’s energy for their power needs. “The sun has at least another 5 billion years of burning left in its lifespan. How many generations or carbon footprint reduction would that cover? It’s a staggering number. So shouldn’t we be taking advantage of it?” he asks.   Yes, the project has come at a price, literally, but Animesh isn’t one to shy away from giving an honest break-up of it. “The entire project has cost Krishna Mahal just a little under INR 4.88 lakh, including a five per cent GST. But there’s also the central government subsidy, which, in this case, amounts to INR 1,00,815. This means that instead of spending over a lakh every year on electricity bills, the society has spent a lump sum now. It will recover this investment in less than four years. After that? Free electricity for 25 years!” he adds.   Just like the ones before this one, Avishakti’s solar plant at Krishna Mahal will operate through a net-metering system, which allows surplus power generated by solar panels to be sent into the public grid, while importing from the grid in case of any shortfall. At the end of the financial year, the building’s power supplier will charge it only for the ‘net usage’.   Mrs. Janaky Narayanan, the society’s other spokesperson, says, “I think this is the best decision we have taken in the New Year. There are several children in our building, and many more on their way. It’s our job to do as much as we can to leave a cleaner, better, and greener environment for our little ones.”   Talking about the net metering system, which is the USP of Avishakti’s solar plants, Mrs. Janaky adds, “We are on the cusp of summer anyway. Knowing how extreme the season is in Mumbai, it will definitely be a solace knowing that even though we will have to sweat it out the next few months, that very thing will help our solar plant function optimally and to its full potential.” Krishna Mahal residents say that the message they want to spread to citizens of this concrete jungle of a city is that it’s never too late to do the right thing. This is Avishakti Rooftop Solar’s first residential project in Chembur. Prior to this, it has set up solar power plants in Bhuleshwar, Ghatkopar, Mulund, and Thane.   Highlights  

• Having spent a little over a lakh every year on electricity bills up till now, Krishna Mahal CHS will save nearly 90% of that cost with its new rooftop solar power plant.
• This is equivalent to planting 344 Teak trees in a lifetime, says society spokesperson.