Solar power for air conditioners too in GPCB's new building

If you believe that solar energy is good enough only to cook rice in solar cooker or heat water as solar water heaters, you need to look further. Solar energy can also provide you the much-needed respite from heat by running air conditioners.

For the first time, all 40 air conditioners in the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB)'s new building will run on solar energy. The building will be inaugurated today.

GPCB's would the first 100 per cent solar building wherein electricity generated through sunlight will also power as many as 600 fans and 1,000 CFL tube lights besides the A/Cs. After investing Rs 1 crore in the power system, the GPCB claims that the investment made will be recovered in five years! The investment is inclusive of a 10-year operation and maintenance contract for the building. The solar panels set up atop the building over 2,000 sq meters space will generate 80 KW energy.

According to member-secretary, GPCB, Hardik Shah, the peak consumption of the building will be 72 hours, while non-peak consumption is estimated to be around 65 KW. The excess power will be supplied to the Torrent Power grid.

"We will be generating around 1,16,800 units per year against which our consumption would be 84,000 units. The remaining units will go the grid," Shah said. GPCB is likely to get anything between Rs 9 to Rs 15 per unit of solar energy sent to the grid. "This would be a net zero energy building," he added.

Besides using solar power, there will be green plantation along the periphery of the compound as well as proper garden and landscaping, which will be done by the forest department.

GPCB also aims to conserve water in this building. There are two separate recharge wells through which rain water will be harvested. "Approximately, 750 cubic metre of rain water is expected to be recharged into the underground aquifiers every monsoon season," Shah added.

The present building of the pollution watchdog will be used as a research centre, resource centre with a library as well as a training institute. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has certified GPCB as a national laboratory.