In a recent instance of opting for non-conventional sources of energy in Mumbai, Twin Star Cooperative Housing Society in Rupa Nagar, Kurla, cut its electricity bill by 83% by switching to solar power.
The residents installed a 20 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar power generation system with 60 panels in the first week of December. The project generates 76 kilowatt-hour (kWh) electricity per day and is expected to generate 28,000 kWh annually.
The electricity bill before the installation was ₹31,000 and it has now dropped to around ₹5,000, as told by the residents. The system helps the society to save ₹26,000 per month in electricity expenses.
The plant generates 90% of the energy needed to light up the common areas, parking spaces and operates the lifts and water pumps.
The solar grid cost Kurla residents ₹14 lakh, but they expect to recover the expenses over the next four-and-half years, said members of Green Power Projects Pvt Ltd that installed the project.
A net-metering system was installed with the solar setup, which allows surplus power generated to be exported back to the grid and any deficiency to be imported. At the end of a financial year, the society will be charged by the power supplier only for the ‘net usage’.
The residential colony plans to initiate rainwater harvesting and composting projects in the future.
Appreciating the efforts made by the colony, The BMC has directed developers to install solar panels during the construction of all new buildings in the city and sanctioned it as a part of the city’s development plans so that power from the grid can be channelled to electricity-deprived areas.
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