Solar power to light up Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bangalore

By NewsGram Staff Writer

In a first of its kind, the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bangalore has decided to go green by using solar power generated from photovoltaic cells to light up the sports complex.

Set up under the Indo-German environmental partnership and installed by RonXSol Ecotech Ltd, ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament, the solar panels will generate 440 kilovolts or six lakh units per annum.

"Our stadium is the first in the country to install solar panels on the rooftop above the eastern stands to generate about 1,700 units of power daily to meet a part of our energy requirements," a Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) said.

The combined solar panels will have the potential to generate 18-lakh units per year to meet about 40-50 per cent of its peak requirement annually.

Speaking on the development, KSCA spokesman Vinay Mrutyunjaya said, "Going forward, similar panels will be installed on the western side rooftop to generate an additional 850kv after this summer."

"We have invested Rs.3 crore to install the solar cells on top of eastern stands and will invest Rs.7 crore for similar panels on top of western stands by this year-end," Mrutyunjaya further added.

The stadium consumes maximum energy for lighting the ground, stands, dressing rooms, pavilion and other facilities when hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in summer and day-night One-Day Internationals (ODIs) when scheduled.

Elaborating the decision to introduce solar power in the stadium, Mrutyunjaya said, "Though the city is located at about 3,000 feet and has the most salubrious climate in the country, sunlight is available in abundance for about 10 months a year, as we are in the tropical region to generate plenty of clean energy."

"We will be saving Rs.40-50 lakh on electricity bills by using solar energy for our power needs. We will also supply to the state grid on days when matches are not played and have surplus solar power to spare," he added.

The association plans to reduce its expenditure on power supplied by the utility provider at commercial rate by using solar power.