Generating electricity and awareness: a solar-lit pandal

[Guest guest]

Sunlight in pandal - Alternative energy to generate awareness

Sudeshna Banerjee

The Telegraph

Calcutta

Oct. 16th, 2007

 

RAY OF LIGHT: Solar panels being fitted to the pandal

of 66 Palli Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee, in

Kalighat. Picture by Aranya Sen

The sun god will play a part this Durga puja. A puja in

Kalighat, off the Rashbehari Avenue crossing, is

harnessing solar energy to light up its pandal.

 

" Last year, we had taken 35 KW electricity. We hope to

cut down on the consumption by at least 10 KW, " says

Partha Pathak of 66 Palli Sarbojanin Durgotsav

Committee. While this will result in a cut in the power

bill of about Rs 10,000, the organisers stress on the

environmental impact.

 

" The earth's reserve of fossil fuel will end one day. So,

Durga puja is a great platform to make people aware of

the need to shift to non-conventional sources of energy, "

states chief organiser Rajat Sengupta.

 

According to the plan, 16 streetlights will be lit with

compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), while 15 blinkers

with light-emitting diode (LED) lamps will lead visitors

along Dharmadas Street. Closer to the pandal on Nepal

Bhattacharjee Street, there will be 11 solar lanterns with

seven-watt CFL lamps hung from posts. " Each

streetlight will come equipped with a 74W photovoltaic

panel. The 11W bulb in it will produce luminosity equal

to that of a 100W incandescent bulb, " says Anupam

Baral of Geetanjali Solar Enterprise, which is providing

the lights free.

 

Inside the pandal, there will be six CFLs near the idol,

while small LEDs will illuminate decorative conch

shells bearing sketches in lac from three schools of

painting - Midnapore, Bishnupur and Kalighat. All

these lamps switch on and off on their own by sensing

the intensity of sunlight.

 

Conventional electricity will be used on the side, for

lighting the streets and the stalls.

 

In 2006, another big puja in the neighbourhood -

Mudiali Club - had used solar energy but that was kept

as a standby in case of emergencies. " We had used two

11W CFL bulbs last year, though thankfully there was

no need to use them. This year, we are in talks to use

four, " said Nitai Mukherjee of Mudiali Club.

 

CESC is happy with the trend. " Ninety-nine per cent

power in Bengal comes from thermal energy, which

involves burning of fuel emitting carbon dioxide. This

adds to global warming. So, curtailing the consumption

of conventional energy is a necessity, " says Dilip

Samajpati, the senior manager, CESC.

 

The Puja lighting pioneers now have their eyes set on

the sky. The only boon they seek from the goddess is

four days of bright sunlight to power their solar panels.

 

from:

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071006/asp/calcutta/story_8399726.asp#