Stella Maris goes green with solar power plant

Set up at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh, the facility will cater to six per cent of the total power requirement on the campus

Stella Maris College became part of a growing breed of educational institutions in the city opting for green energy with the recent inauguration of a 50-kilo watt solar power plant on its campus.

Jasintha Quadras, principal of the college, said the roof-top solar plant was installed by Omega Natural Polarity Private Limited at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh.

The plant would cater to six per cent of the total power requirement on the campus, she said.

State mandate

The initiative was part of the State government’s solar policy, mandating colleges to take up renewable energy.

The solar plant is a grid-type system without battery facilities linked directly to the electricity grid. Having 200 solar panels, the power plant will be operational during the day, powering lights and fans in the college.

Daily monitoring

The entire system, with web interface, will be monitored for the daily usage of power. The college has already undertaken 12 environmental initiatives including light-emitting diode cluster lights, solar-powered streetlights, source segregation, vermi-composting and waste water re-cycling plant.