More power to the Museum

More power to the Museum
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Highlights

Buoyed by the success of the 500 KW solar plant on its roof that was set up at a cost of Rs 2.20 crore, which is helping the Salar Jung Museum (SJM) save upto Rs 7 lakh per month in power bills, the authorities are now planning to add an additional 150 KW; this would make it the only museum in the world to have a capacity of 650 KW solar power plant.

Salar Jung to add 150 KW of solar power

  • On an average, the Salar Jung Museum is saving upto Rs 7 lakh per month in power bills after going solar
  • With the addition of 150 KW by June, the power consumption through non-conventional energy would go up by 55 per cent
  • By March end, 90 per cent of the galleries will have LED lighting

Buoyed by the success of the 500 KW solar plant on its roof that was set up at a cost of Rs 2.20 crore, which is helping the Salar Jung Museum (SJM) save upto Rs 7 lakh per month in power bills, the authorities are now planning to add an additional 150 KW; this would make it the only museum in the world to have a capacity of 650 KW solar power plant.

The only other museum with a capacity above 500 KW is the Ohio Art Museum; it has a capacity of 635 KW. Tenders for the 150 KW plant were issued last week and the museum proposes to complete the project by June end. The additional power would be set up at a cost of Rs 1 crore of which the SJM would bear 30 per cent and the remaining subsidy is being given by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Currently, solar power is meeting the needs of the museum to the extent of 45 per cent. A Nagender Reddy, director, SJM says, “Space is a constraint or we would have gone for 1 MW capacity. By June with the augmentation of another 150 KW, solar power would take care of 55 per cent of the power bills.”

Between July 2014 and January 2015, Rs 13,50, 951.57 was the power bills and during the same period of seven months between 2015 and 2016, the energy consumption bills dropped to Rs 7,70, 046.72. Apart from solar power, five Air Conditioning Units (ACU) that were set up in the ‘80s have been changed with five star rating units at a cost of Rs 20 lakh.

Nagender Reddy adds, “By March end 90 per cent of the galleries will have LED lighting.” Currently, 60 per cent of the galleries have LED lighting. Upto 11 out of the 38 galleries will be equipped with LED in the next 30 days. The museum’s power consumption is close to 5,000 units per day and the units generated on Friday when the museum is closed is ploughed back to the grid and adjusted.

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