Solar power is heating water, helping run laboratories, light up auditoriums, cooling down canteens, and powering entire schools. Due to surging electricity bills, educational institutions are turning to solar to meet their everyday energy needs, especially those in Bangalore. Here are some of the schools and colleges in the city that are benefitting from solar power.
Canadian International School (CIS), Yelahanka (2017)
300 kilowatt-power (kWp) of solar systems were put up across all rooftops of the school. The school has become sustainable by running entirely on solar power. CIS is India’s first school to run solely on solar power.
The school requires 4,25,000 kWh of energy in a year. With solar, they are producing 5,00,000 kWh per year, comfortably meeting their demand.
The Green School Bangalore, Whitefield (2019)
5 kW off-grid power system was put upon its rooftop area. The school now runs almost wholly on solar without a BESCOM connection. Classrooms to the playground, everything is powered by solar. They are one of the few schools in Bangalore that are independent of the grid.
Lawrence school, HSR Layout (2018)
A 40-kilowatt on-grid solar system was put up at this school. They chose to purchase the solar power system by investing their own money into it. Going solar has helped them cut INR 40,000 in electricity bills every month. With a break-even period on their investment of just 4.5 years, the school was able to complete this using only 4000 square feet of roof space.
IIM-B, Bannerghatta Road (2017)
They have an installed solar capacity of 290 kW and reduce their electricity bill by 15%. Also, their buildings comprise of eco-friendly and locally-sourced materials. Parabolic solar panels for steam generation for mass cooking were also put up in the year 2010.
The top-tier Business School went solar to reduce electricity consumption from the grid during peak demand. The panels generate 39,500 units of electricity (kWh) per day (on average) and help the institution save INR 3,60,000 per month.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Malleshwaram (2016)
279 kWp of solar panels were set up on three building rooftops to generate power for the institution. 2200 LED lights are installed at various locations on campus to improve energy efficiency.
Not only going solar, but IISC also understands the need for a well-structured disposal strategy for retired panels. They are coming up with answers for the most asked question, “What after 25 years?” A group of scientists at IISc, Bengaluru have found a new use for discarded solar panels to be used as a building material.
Banglore University, Jnana Bharathi Campus (2018)
Bangalore University houses over 50 academic and administrative departments, spread across 500 acres. They faced with massive expenses with electricity topping the list at over INR 10 lakhs per month. To tackle this issue the university has installed solar panels on its roofs.
Mount Carmel College, Vasanth Nagar (2018)
Mount Carmel College has covered rooftops of three buildings with solar panels. Solar takes care of 70 per cent of its total energy demand. Most of the laboratories and classrooms on campus run on solar power.
Government School, Yelahanka (2019)
Atkin Global‘s CSR program is enabling government schools of Bangalore with consistent access to electricity for an uninterrupted and comfortable learning experience. Atkins, in collaboration with Solarify, installed solar-powered backup systems in two government schools in 2019. Apart from creating a better learning environment, this initiative also reduces 7 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year.
Delhi Public School (DPS), Dommasandra
DPS has gone fully solar at one out of its four campuses. All energy needs at DPS, east campus is being taken care of by solar. The total capacity of these panels is 100 kWp, while they require only 70 kW, on average. As a result, the school is a net producer of energy.
Samsidh Mount Litera Zee School, HSR Layout (2017)
The school set up a 96-kilowatt system that generates 1,15,000 units of electricity every year. They did this with an on-grid system, on a lease model. The per-unit cost paid by the school is 3 rupees lesser than that from BESCOM (the utility provider).
A case for more educational institutions to go solar.
Not only learning about renewable energy but also using them on campuses of schools and colleges can have an incredibly positive effect on students, who are future consumers. In the case of the abovementioned institutions, being well versed the benefits of solar, the students are most likely to choose solar when they become decision-makers as adults.
Read more: 1. Solar solutions for educational institutions, 2. A guide for educational institutions to go solar
