This four-storey commercial building in Bengaluru is 100% solar-powered

BENGALURU: This building in Jayanagar hasn't paid an electricity bill for the past few months. No, it's not a defaulter. The 10,000sqft commercial complex is 100% energy efficient - all lights, electrical equipment, air-conditioners and lifts run on solar power.
The building owner MA Jayaprakash said generator back-up would have easily cost him Rs 6-7 lakh so he invested a few more lakhs and went in for a solar panel connection. He had to shell out around Rs 14 lakh. The structure has been operating on green energy since it became functional four months ago.

The ideal Bescom bill for the self-sufficient building amounts to Rs 20,000-30,000 per month. However, it has no Bescom connection. Jayaprakash said he may opt for one later when the power load may exceed the capacity of the solar system.

The solar panels run on a hybrid/ 3 phase inverter, the first-of-its-kind in India. It is bi-directional in nature — additional power generated by the panels charges the battery. Since it is a commercial building, a normal battery back-up of four hours suffices for the day.

"Usually, rural areas which don't have access to power grids are the ones who use solar energy. It is in interesting to see how an urban building has gone entirely solar," said a Bescom representative.

Time to go green:

Gopinath Jawalkar, CEO of Power Resources and Modern Integration Enterprises (PRAMIE), who quit a high-profile corporate company and started his own power solution services, said, "Solar/power back-up industry is the fastest growing segment in the alternative energy sector where global resources are plentiful." He added: "Inverters can be used till the battery is dry. Generators are long-lasting, but diesel/ petrol usage makes every unit of power they produce very costly. Solar power is permanent. Thus it is a good time to tap into the sun's energy and go green."