On-Grid Solar Systems in India Ensuring Huge Savings on Electricity Bills
Harnessing the power of the Sun, a housing society of the suburbs of Kandivli, Mumbai have reduced their dependence on electricity grid by nearly 60%. They are the residents of Raheja Eternity and they are actively taking part in the global movement of fighting against environmental degradation and reducing their carbon footprint as much as possible. This is a perfect example of transforming our environment by incorporating on-grid solar systems in India.
Whether it is rainwater harvesting, use of solar power, installation of LED bulbs, getting waste water treatment plants or maintaining a green cover, these 230 families have made it clear that they are striving hard to develop a sustainable living environment.
Increased Savings by Minimizing Utility Bills
By taking this step of generating solar power with on-grid solar system in their premises, the residents of the 20-storey building have been successful to minimize their dependence on the electricity grid by almost 60%. The World Environment Day is celebrated in June every year. The residents of this housing society marked this auspicious day by collecting Rs35 lakh to install a 65kW rooftop solar system. The efforts, however, started much before that when all the tube lights of the society were replaced by 650 LED bulbs that substantially reduced the unit consumption.
The society has around 211 panels that generates around 260-280 units of energy per day with on-grid solar systems. The energy consumption of the society is around 863 units per day. And from this 337 units are drawn from the utility grid. This has resulted in saving Rs 2.2 lakh per month and has also reduced the maintenance charges paid by each family by three times.
Every Step Taken Towards Environmental Sustainability
The residents of Raheja Eternity have left no stone unturned towards an eco-friendly living. They have a wastewater treatment plant, a rainwater harvesting system with a huge storage tank. In their lawns and terrace, they have been nurturing 20 mango saplings to make their surroundings better. Once these saplings grow to a desired size, they are planted in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
The society has also aimed to install sensor systems to ensure that the lights will switch on only when someone passes by the sensor. This move, which is scheduled to take place within a month will also enhance the life of bulbs by nine times.
The residents want to tap and exploit every opportunity available that has a positive environmental impact. They have also planned to get two automated composting machines that can convert kitchen waste into compost in merely three days.
Setting a Perfect Example for Everyone
The residents of Raheja Eternity are setting the perfect example for all the other housing societies. It has been observed that other societies have taken up similar projects and more and more residents are now willing to join the green wave by adopting on-grid solar solutions. The government must not be worried since much of the load from their shoulders are been shared by the common people. This is one area that demands people to take care of all the aspects of the environment for a better living in a cleaner world.
