Second city temple gets solar panels
After Siddhivinayak temple set up solar panels to meet its power needs, a Krishna shrine in Bhuleshwar will become the second temple in the city to use the sun for electricity.
Shri Krishna Pranami Mandir installed an 8.5 kilowatt power (kwp) solar facility on its rooftop. It has 27 panels, which can generate 35 to 45 units daily — about 13,500 units in a year. The project will be inaugurated on Monday. An average household uses between 8 and 10 units daily.
The temple spends about Rs1.5 lakh on power, annually. “Devotees from all over the country visit our temple and stay here round the year. The overall maintenance consumes a lot of power,” said Gautam Tulsidas, honorary trustee of the temple. “Adopting solar energy will help us save on our electricity spends.”
The two century old Siddhivi solar in 2013. They have been saving Rs 40,000 a month for the past four-and-a-half years with their 20 kwp solar rooftop project, comprising 72 panels spread across 3 000 square feet dependency from the grid by next year by adding to our setup to generate another 100kwp power,” said Narendra Rane, chairman, Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust Bhuleshwar temple also uses a net-metering system, which allows surplus power to be sent back to the grid. Any deficiency is imported from the grid. At the end of a financial year, the temple is charged by the electrical power supplier only for its net usage.
According to Avishakti Rooftop Solar Pvt Ltd that set up the project, the temple spent Rs6.8 lakh to acquire solar facilities. “Saving on electricity is just one aspect of the project. The initial investment will be recovered within four years and the project has a lifespan of 25 years,” said Animesh Manek, founder and director, Avishakti Solar. “The government has allocated Rs1.5 lakh as subsidy for the project.”
Temple authorities said that using energy generated from renewable sources will help restrict carbon emissions. “We would like to send a message to our devotees so that they consider renewable energy for a better tomorrow,” said Iraben Ruparel founder trustee Shri