For some time now, news is coming about the problem of electricity in India. It is being said that due to shortage of coal, electricity is not being produced in thermal plants. According to the Central Electricity Authority of India, about 80% of the plants in India where electricity is generated from coal are in ‘supercritical’ condition. Due to this, more than 14 hours of power cut is happening in states like Rajasthan, Bihar.
Coal still produces most of the electricity in India. Which is not environmentally sound and at the same time it is also expensive. Therefore, power cut for many people, and increased electricity bill has become a problem for many people. In such a situation, there is now a need to increase the dependence on more and more natural sources, such as solar energy and wind energy, for electricity. These natural resources are proving to be beneficial not only for industrial and residential, but also for the people running small stalls etc.
S. K., who runs his own tea stall at Mahindra World City in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Damodaran has been using solar energy for the last six months, due to which he has neither faced power problems nor has to spend money elsewhere for electricity for six months. Damodaran explains that with his two 150-watt solar panels, nine 10-watt lights and an FM radio are running smoothly in his stall.
inspiration from youtube
Damodaran explains, “For the last three years we have been running this tea stall. There was no electricity at our roadside stall. In such a situation, we had the option of using a diesel generator. But if we used a diesel generator, it would have cost us dearly and at the same time would have caused pollution.”
That’s why he wanted that electricity should be arranged in some other way. Because everything was fine during the day, but it was very dark during the night. Damodaran says that Mahindra Tech City has all good companies and it is very crowded during evening and night. Because during the break time, all the employees come to the nearby stalls to enjoy food and drink or tea.
But there was only rechargeable lamp at his stall, whose light was very low. Because of this, at times they even had to lose hands with their customers. So one day while watching videos on YouTube, he came to know about solar panels and immediately decided to install solar panels for his stall.
Battery lasts for two days
Damodaran says that he got two solar panels from Amazon and got them installed at his tea stall. His entire cost was Rs 17 thousand for him. He says, “But now I am using electricity without any worry for the last six months because of solar panels. I no longer have to spend a single rupee for electricity and my tea stall is not dark even for a minute at night. Because of this, customers also like to come and sit at my place. Because there is good light here.”
He told that his solar panels are connected to the battery. Solar panels use sunlight to create energy, which can charge the battery in six to eight hours. They say that once the battery is charged, it lasts for about two days comfortably. Even in the rainy season, even if there is less sunlight, the battery gets charged and their work goes on. A small digital meter is attached to the battery, which tells you how much charging is left.
Solve more problems with less investment
Damodaran’s son Sivaraman says that if he had taken a diesel generator, he would have had to spend about Rs 150 a day on diesel for three-four hours of light. In this way, every month around Rs 4500, they would have to spend only for electricity. But now their expenditure on electricity is zero. They have solved all the problems with just one-time investment.
Also, it is eco-friendly as well. He says, “It is a very good investment. Because there is no electricity connection for platforms like food stalls, tea stalls. In such a situation, the provision of light remains a headache at night. But now my worry is over.
Of course, solar energy is a great option in today’s time, as India is facing the crisis of coal consumption and environmental degradation, in such a situation, more and more people need to adopt solar energy like Damodaran.
Editing – G N Jha
Also read: Sitting at home, online application installed solar system and electricity bill became zero
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