Ahmedabad airport eyeing solar power to reduce operational expenses

Ahmedabad airport is poised to take off on a power-saving mode by extensive use of solar energy. With the intention to reduce operational expenses, it wants to introduce cost cutting measures. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has installed solar panels on the roof of the domestic terminal at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport towards achieving this objective.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 17 June 2016.

As indicated by AAI officials, the electricity generation capacity of the solar panels installed is 750 kilowatt (KW) per panel. The monthly power consumption of Ahmedabad airport is 22 lakh units and it is expected that these solar panels will help save around 1 lakh units per month.
It is a Rs 4.6-crore project and took one year to put into place. The present consumption of Ahmedabad airport is approximately 25,500 megawatt per year, which works out to around Rs21 crore. Once the solar power initiative is activated, there are possibilities of saving Rs 1 crore- Rs 1.5 crore every year. The savings will increase further once panels are put on the roof of the international terminal.
AAI also has plans to install solar panels on unused land in the airport premises apart from installing LED lights, solar-powered streetlights, and energy appliances with five star ratings.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Ecotourism gets a push in Balasore forest division

In order to focus on ecotourism, the Balasore forest division has developed a project at Gohirabholo in the buffer region of the Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary - the intention is to attract more visitors and also promote tourism in the area. An amount of nearly Rs 96 lakh is proposed to be spent on the project. So far, four tents have been erected and other facilities such as washrooms and kitchens are ready. Each tent can accommodate two persons. A watchtower has also been erected for tourists to get a better view of the sanctuary area.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 31 May 2016.

Fir ensuring safety of tourists against animal attacks, trenches have been dug around the project area and, solar fencing has also been installed for additional security. There is a provision for round-the-clock water supply through borewells and, solar panels are meeting the demand for electricity. The forest department offers night-stay facilities at four tents set up inside the core area of the sanctuary, located about 8-Km away from the entry gate.
However, the night-stay facilities in the core area of the sanctuary could be shut down to keep wildlife free from the disturbance caused by human movement and activities.
The charges are Rs 1,000 for a bed and another Rs 500 for food. The facility will be open to tourists throughout the year, unlike the one in the core area of the sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to leopards, elephants, deer and other threatened species including porcupines, bisons, pythons and pangolins and is spread over an area of 272.4 acres.


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Sai Prasadalaya is a community kitchen of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Shirdi and it has bagged the coveted Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) and Solar Cooker Excellence Awards - 2016 by the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE). This setup is saving 1 lakh kg of LPG (estimated to cost Rs 20,00,000 every year) through this project.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 21 May 2016.

Shirdi Sai temple attracts thousands of devotees every day and it has one of world's largest Solar System Projects for community cooking. It was installed in 2014 and, with 73 solar dishes each of 16 sq meter size, the total steam generation capacity of this project is 4200 kg/day. Food consisting of more than 2 tonnes of rice is cooked for more than 25000 individuals every day in the Kitchen. The saving of cooking gas is of the order of Rs 20,000 every day and, till date, it has saved Rs 60 lakh for the trust.
Incidentally, community cooking by using solar energy has become a popular application in both educational and religious organizations. The process is also being adopted to meet the requirements in dairying, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles and other industrial sectors.


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