Agra-based school goes all- solar after reeling under power crisis
Agra: Agra-based St. Peters School faced the problem of frequent power outages. They used diesel generators which were only a temporary solution to the problem as it led to burgeoning power bills. Finally, it was a group of students that found a solution to the problem: to embrace solar energy.
Su-Kam then took up the responsibility to install a solar inverter in the school. Today, the system generates approximately 20 to 25 units of electricity every day subject to the weather conditions and runs the total of 2.5 KW load of the school that includes 20 fans and 20 tube lights. The system is able to power the appliances fully during the day and all through the night by battery backup.
“In Agra, the maximum temperature can reach up to 43 degrees. It was nearly impossible to study without fans. We have been reading in the newspapers about the benefits of solar power, so we spoke to our teachers about installing solar in the school. The management liked our idea. We are very happy that we can now study without interruption because we always have electricity,” says a student of St. Peters School.
“Solar energy was a perfect solution for this Agra-based school as the city receives an average of 13 hours and 30 minutes of daylight. Solar energy is not only eco-friendly but also leads to a reduction in power bills. I appreciate this step of St. Peters School and hope that more and more establishments will go solar,” said Mr. Kunwer Sachdev, Managing Director, Su-Kam.
Su-Kam’s solar inverter installed at the school works in connection a solar charge controller. It is a unique hybrid system which can charge batteries through solar and grid. As solar panels make DC electricity, it goes through the solar charge controller which then controls the power and optimizes it to properly charge the batteries. The inverter then converts DC power coming from the batteries into AC to power electrical load. When there is a deficit of solar power, the off-grid solar system intelligently takes remaining required power from the grid and runs load as well as charges batteries.