Amrut palms cooperative housing society aims to meet 70% of its electricity needs through solar power. This 12 storey co-operative housing society in Kalyan (West) installed a 16 kW rooftop solar power plant at Rs 11.25 lakh. Apart from meeting 70% of its electricity need, the society hopes to reduce its electricity bill by 30%. The plant has the capacity to power the society’s common facilities like the lift, motor and passage lights as it generates approximately 61 units per day and around 22,400 units per year. The society used to spend ₹ 45,000 to ₹50,000 per month on the electricity bill. With a 16 kW plant, the society now saves approximately ₹10,000 per month i.e., their electricity bill has reduced to around ₹35,000 per month.
Do you want to know what inspired them to go solar? Read more to find out why the members of Amrut Palms cooperative society made a ₹11.25 lakh investment in Solar Power Plant.
According to Hindustan Times, the members of the society noticed a rapid hike in electricity price since 2009. This made them look for alternative solutions to reduce their electricity bill. Finally, the society chose solar installation as they were convinced by the fact that going solar is going to benefit them in the long run. Ruhul Amin Shaikh, secretary of the housing society said that additional funds came pouring in from the members of the society for the installation of this 16 kW plant. He also said that their society’s power consumption was significantly higher than the other buildings because it is a 12-storeyed tower.
The payback period is four years without depreciation. As the set up runs on a net metering system, the excess units generated by the plant will be exported to the common utility grid. This means that an amount equivalent to the additional power will be deducted from the society’s future bills.
MSEDCL’s local Kalyan official shared his views with Hindustan Times. Having understood the depletion of fossil fuels and the increasing power demand, he appreciated the efforts of the society in switching to solar power. He said that going solar is a great decision as it is a natural source of energy and society can reduce the demand from electricity generators like MSEB.
Amrut Palms is now one of the highly recognised societies in Kalyan as they are reducing 11.68 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.