The Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (SAICE) has become the first educational institution in the city to become self-reliant by meeting all its energy requirements through solar energy. The building has been operating on green energy since September 2014.
According to Dr. Brahmanand Mohanty, Visiting Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology, a pilot study was initiated by the Ashram in 2012 to show how the Centre of Education could reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by using more energy efficient appliances and generating solar electricity.
To begin with, the energy requirements of the Centre of Education were calculated to derive the pattern of electricity use over a long period of time.
All inefficient lamps, fans, air-conditioners and computers were substituted by more energy efficient alternatives to lower the energy demand by more than 25 per cent without compromising the quality and service. By September 2014, the Centre of Education had achieved net-energy positive status by producing more electricity from the sun than its own requirements.
Following the announcement of the Solar Energy Regulations by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for Goa and Union Territories in December 2014, the Ashram took up a new phase of research in 2015 for putting the concept of net metering into practice in other buildings of the Ashram in consultation with the Puducherry Government.
“Grid-tied solar power plants were installed on the rooftop of the Centre of Education building, Salle d’Art, Library and the Dining Hall with a cumulative capacity of around 130 kW. These rooftop power plants produce over 16,000 units of electricity per month”, Mr. Mohanty said.
The buildings themselves consume less than half of the electricity generated and the excess electricity is exported for the benefit of other local users, thereby avoiding transmission and distribution losses.
The Ashram did not avail any Government capital subsidy and opted for the Group Net Metering facility, the first of its kind in the country, he said.
Thanks to this unique feature of the JERC’s solar energy regulations, the surplus solar energy produced by a consumer can also be adjusted in the electricity bill of another service connection of the consumer within the State or Union Territory.
This will facilitate optimal usage of rooftops that are suitable for solar energy in Union Territories where rooftop systems are ideal for solar projects due to limited land availability.
The excess electricity from the four buildings will compensate for the electricity consumed by other Ashram buildings, he said.
The performance of the four solar power plants is being tracked online using a remote monitoring system called Wattmon developed in Auroville.
The Wattmon system also monitors voltage, current, power output, solar inverter efficiency, cumulative electricity produced at any time of the day.
The Ashram intends to gain experience from these pilot initiatives and take appropriate measures in order to gradually reduce its dependence on fossil-fuel-based power plants in the future.
According to Tejas of SAICE, who coordinated the project with the students, India’s energy needs will increase exponentially over the coming years and we are at a stage where earth’s resources are being depleted at an alarming rate to satisfy our needs. If this trend continues it will lead to severe consequences for us. Hence alternative energy sources will have to start playing a major role.
Sri Aurobindo Ashram wanted to set up a working model to show to what extent such efforts are viable. If we can show on the ground that establishing such centers of energy generation are worthwhile then others would surely follow the lead and that would be our contribution to the nation’s welfare.
Our research in this domain of creating viable options for energy generation would continue and we hope that this working model inspires others to follow suit, he said.
“Grid-tied solar power plants produce over 16,000 units of electricity per month”
Dr. Brahmanand Mohanty
Visiting Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology
