ECO
HOME
MURTHY HOUSE BANGALORE
The
power broker
Sridhar
Murthy created a bit of a sensation in Bangalore earlier this year when the
Bangalore Mirror carried a story on the man who doles out electricity to Bescom,
Bangalore’s electricity supply company.
Solar panels fitted in Murthy’s north Bangalore home can generate 1.8 kW of power. His panels generate roughly 8-10 units of power in a day. This is more than what Murthy’s family of four utilises on a typical day. Thanks to the grid-interactive system he has, the excess power can be fed back into the city’s power grid. “In Germany, where this system is popular, homeowners sell power to utility companies. But that doesn’t exist here, I give it to Bescom for free,” he says.
Murthy’s interest in renewable energy grew during 30 years of working with AEG Power Solutions, a global provider of power electronic systems with interest in renewable energy solutions and energy-efficiency solutions. The company’s office has had its garage rooftop converted into a solar-power generating hub that can generate 15 kW. When they were constructing their house in Bangalore’s Rajajinagar, the Murthys paid special attention to the rooftop where they decided to create a canopy. They were also looking for a place to install solar panels. “The idea clicked into place when we decided that we could make the canopy out of solar panels,” says Murthy.
Today, while the family is plugged into the grid, it uses Bescom power only to run the submersible pressure pump used to lift water from the underground borewell. Murthy advises those installing solar energy systems to invest in a good inverter to take care of appliances that typically need a surge of power at start-up (water pumps, washing machines etc) to avoid damage to these appliances. He emphasises that these systems are essentially maintenance-free with close to zero recurring or running costs. The batteries need to be changed only once in four-five years at a cost of roughly Rs 20,000, and barring mishaps, solar panels can potentially work for decades. “They need to be cleaned once in two weeks or so. There is no other major maintenance required. The system works smoothly and efficiently. Given the fact that the costs of creating renewable energy are coming down, this is the future,” says Murthy.
•
MURTHY HOUSE, BANGALORE
• Canopy of solar panels
• Extra powerful batteries
• Uses Bescom power only to run water pump
Solar panels fitted in Murthy’s north Bangalore home can generate 1.8 kW of power. His panels generate roughly 8-10 units of power in a day. This is more than what Murthy’s family of four utilises on a typical day. Thanks to the grid-interactive system he has, the excess power can be fed back into the city’s power grid. “In Germany, where this system is popular, homeowners sell power to utility companies. But that doesn’t exist here, I give it to Bescom for free,” he says.
Murthy’s interest in renewable energy grew during 30 years of working with AEG Power Solutions, a global provider of power electronic systems with interest in renewable energy solutions and energy-efficiency solutions. The company’s office has had its garage rooftop converted into a solar-power generating hub that can generate 15 kW. When they were constructing their house in Bangalore’s Rajajinagar, the Murthys paid special attention to the rooftop where they decided to create a canopy. They were also looking for a place to install solar panels. “The idea clicked into place when we decided that we could make the canopy out of solar panels,” says Murthy.
Today, while the family is plugged into the grid, it uses Bescom power only to run the submersible pressure pump used to lift water from the underground borewell. Murthy advises those installing solar energy systems to invest in a good inverter to take care of appliances that typically need a surge of power at start-up (water pumps, washing machines etc) to avoid damage to these appliances. He emphasises that these systems are essentially maintenance-free with close to zero recurring or running costs. The batteries need to be changed only once in four-five years at a cost of roughly Rs 20,000, and barring mishaps, solar panels can potentially work for decades. “They need to be cleaned once in two weeks or so. There is no other major maintenance required. The system works smoothly and efficiently. Given the fact that the costs of creating renewable energy are coming down, this is the future,” says Murthy.
•
MURTHY HOUSE, BANGALORE
• Canopy of solar panels
• Extra powerful batteries
• Uses Bescom power only to run water pump
ECO
HOME
VANSEY HOME BANGALORE
SECOND
WIND
For
renewable energy consultant Adarsh Vansey, creating a clean energy system in
his own home was a no-brainer. When he designed and built his 2,500 square feet
independent house in south Bangalore’s JP Nagar in 2006, he was clear that his
home, which he shares with his parents, would be run largely on electricity
generated through solar panels and a wind turbine.
Vansey specialises in wind energy and has helped clients across India set up solar-plus-wind systems that reduce dependence on grid power. Unlike most homeowners who opt for the more popular solarpowered stand-alone systems, Vansey opted for a dual system (with solar and a micro wind-energy system) to fully utilise the favourable windspeed his rooftop is exposed to, to generate power during the night. He installed imported 640-watt solar panels (he clarifies that the number of panels have nothing to do with the quantum of energy generated as long as the total surface area remains the same; it is more scientific to refer to the optimal power generation from the panels) and a 650-watt wind turbine made by a Punebased company called Unitron. The total set-up cost around Rs 3.5 to 4 lakh at the time. “The costs have reduced considerably now because solar panels have become cheaper, from Rs 220 per watt (when I installed these) to Rs 60-75 per watt now,” Vansey explains.
In the Vansey home, the energy generated using the dual units is about 4-5 kilowatthours (kWh) of power every day (one kWh is what we commonly refer to as one ‘unit’ of power). This is enough to run CFL and LED lights, fans, the TV, washing machine, microwave and refrigerator. The family’s hot water needs are taken care of by a solar water heater — a feature that has become increasingly common on the city’s rooftops in the past few years.
Part of the solar and wind generating systems are a set of batteries and an inverter. “Solar photovoltaic cells work on the principle of converting light energy to electric energy,” explains Vansey. “This energy is generated in DC (direct current) mode. The wind turbine is simpler; it converts wind energy to electric energy, again in DC mode. This current charges the batteries, which stores it for future use. The current from the batteries is supplied to the house via the inverter.” The household usually has back-up power for two days and is 85 per cent off the grid. Electricity bills are “in the lower hundreds”.
So why don’t more people adopt this inexhaustible source? Vansey shrugs: “Maybe people are deterred by the high initial costs, but if you’re spending upwards of Rs 50 lakh on a house, setting up a renewable energy system isn’t even 10 per cent of that. And potentially, you could run a whole city on this!
Vansey specialises in wind energy and has helped clients across India set up solar-plus-wind systems that reduce dependence on grid power. Unlike most homeowners who opt for the more popular solarpowered stand-alone systems, Vansey opted for a dual system (with solar and a micro wind-energy system) to fully utilise the favourable windspeed his rooftop is exposed to, to generate power during the night. He installed imported 640-watt solar panels (he clarifies that the number of panels have nothing to do with the quantum of energy generated as long as the total surface area remains the same; it is more scientific to refer to the optimal power generation from the panels) and a 650-watt wind turbine made by a Punebased company called Unitron. The total set-up cost around Rs 3.5 to 4 lakh at the time. “The costs have reduced considerably now because solar panels have become cheaper, from Rs 220 per watt (when I installed these) to Rs 60-75 per watt now,” Vansey explains.
In the Vansey home, the energy generated using the dual units is about 4-5 kilowatthours (kWh) of power every day (one kWh is what we commonly refer to as one ‘unit’ of power). This is enough to run CFL and LED lights, fans, the TV, washing machine, microwave and refrigerator. The family’s hot water needs are taken care of by a solar water heater — a feature that has become increasingly common on the city’s rooftops in the past few years.
Part of the solar and wind generating systems are a set of batteries and an inverter. “Solar photovoltaic cells work on the principle of converting light energy to electric energy,” explains Vansey. “This energy is generated in DC (direct current) mode. The wind turbine is simpler; it converts wind energy to electric energy, again in DC mode. This current charges the batteries, which stores it for future use. The current from the batteries is supplied to the house via the inverter.” The household usually has back-up power for two days and is 85 per cent off the grid. Electricity bills are “in the lower hundreds”.
So why don’t more people adopt this inexhaustible source? Vansey shrugs: “Maybe people are deterred by the high initial costs, but if you’re spending upwards of Rs 50 lakh on a house, setting up a renewable energy system isn’t even 10 per cent of that. And potentially, you could run a whole city on this!
SHRABONTI
BAGCHI TCR 120804
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