The Climate Challenge India portal is now three weeks in the running. For the week of 6th July to 13th July, we profile the Gadhia Solar, an innovative solar thermal energy company, focused on providing energy solutions by using parabolic concentrated technologies, backed by technical support from HTT GmbH of Germany.
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PIONEERING SOLAR IN INDIA! |
| Idea of bringing in clean, affordable and sustainable energy into daily practices in India
The idea came when Mr. Gadhia was requested by his wife to help her solve a problem she always faced, when talking to villagers not to cut forest and when she was faced by questions from villagers as to how they should cook and survive without using wood as it was their primary source of energy. He was asked for help because he worked in the field of Energy. Initially he thought it would be simple and researched for solution and came across box solar cookers and they were being promoted in India for more than 50 years and so thought/assumed that the villagers did not know about it and thus offered it as a solution.To their surprise villagers knew of solar cookers but the problem they faced with same was that it was too slow, it could not fry and make chappaties etc. Thus began their journey to offer clean, affordable and sustainable energy but with equipments that fulfilled people’s expectations, needs and were user friendly. Following which they introduced in India Parabolic Solar Cookers based on technology transfer from their inventor friend Dr. Dieter Seifert of Germany which enabled faster cooking and cooking of all traditional items. Then on they graduated to Community Solar Cooking and from there to Institutional cooking.They have responded to the needs of cooking by developing better, bigger and cost effective solar cookers to cater to needs of different target groups Projects with maximum impact They have been fortunate to do many prestigious projects which have brought them name and fame and business including the World’s Largest Solar Steam Cooking System at Tirumala Tirupati Temple which cooks 30,000 meals per day. That has had maximum impact because on an average 70,000 people visit Tirupati Temple every day and 30,000 out of them eat solar cooked food and get convinced that food can be cooked with Solar energy and take the positive message of Solar energy and environmental protection home after that experience. BUT for them the most satisfying projects were the Smoke-Free villages they did along with NEDCAP where the whole village cooks without consuming any conventional fuel like LPG or Kerosene or wood and cooks with 26 solar cookers and 23 biogas plants. According to them the real impact in turn of saving environment and protecting our planet earth will happen when common man starts using renewable energy but that can happen not just with Technology but with help of Social Engineering so that the common man can have access have to such technologies. In smoke-free villages they achieved the same with the help of micro-financing and income generation so that people pay from their profits and not from their pockets! Best practices towards concrete solutions to climate change Gadhia Solar is constantly working to make the solar technology more cost effective and user friendly and such that it can do multi-tasking and be used for multiple applications. They have helped German Government conduct Carbon-neutral Conference by supplying them Gold Standard CERs from their Solar Cooking Projects making it a win-win situation where the user of solar cookers gets an income for having not put co2 in atmosphere and the buyer of his CERs is happy to have fulfilled his commitments under Kyoto protocol. Contribution to economy,development and contributing positively to further renewable technologies The real contribution of Business towards economy and development will be when Sustainable Development is taken into consideration. Gadhia Solar right from the beginning concentrated on developing technology using local raw material, using local skills and the product be such that it can be installed and operated and repaired by local technician. By this business method they helped create jobs and value addition at local level. Another point they are working on is that their renewable energy products should also help the local economy in fulfilling its needs to address problem of poverty elevation. For example they are of the opinion that food processing with Solar Energy can contribute immensely not just by saving fuel and reducing environment BUT will also enable farmers to convert their perishable product into non perishable product and thus are empowered to hold on to their products till they get better price and not forced to sell it to middle-man. |
How can membership to the CCI platform contribute to what the Gadhia Solar is doing?
CSM partner Gadhia Solar says: “ We feel that CCI Platform will make positive difference by focusing the attention of Mass and Media on the problems and solutions and also show that there is immense potential and possibility for us to take charge of our fate and that we don’t have the luxury and time to wait and watch and as Obama would have said- YES WE CAN…..” |
Solar technology of tomorrow
According to Gadhia Solar, the most effective “Solar Technology of Tomorrow” would be the system they are working on where each Multi-storey building would have Solar Thermal Concentrators on their terrace and the heat would be piped into each apartment either as steam or hot oil and used for cooking, for air-conditioning of the apartment, for generating hot water for bathing and washing of clothes and utensils, for producing drinking water by desalination or pasteurization and in the end for running small turbine to produce electricity. Thus each building can be Energy self sufficient.
Companies role in shaping the green economy
Mr. Gadhia thinks it is the beginning of the “Solar Age” and just like the last age was driven by IT the next age would be driven by Green Economy and there is a need for many more Social Entrepreneurs who would not be driven just by a profit motive but with zeal to do something for the environment and people.
New and On-going projects across the country
Gadhia Solar is working on challenging projects where steam/ heat from Solar Concentrators would be used not just for cooking but also for Industrial heating and cooling applications and for other applications which the society needs at large e.g. drinking water from sea water and Solar Crematoriums.
– Installing a 100 TR Solar Air-conditioning plant for a Cancer Hospital run by Muni Seva Ashram and after gaining some experience in solar cooling would like to use solar cooling for cold storages which is the need of the future to give boost to Agriculture.
– Installing a Solar
– Signed MOU with Gujarat Government to install 100 MW Solar Power Plant using Solar Concentrators and waiting to sign PPA.
Prospects of solar energy applications in rural areas
Mr. and Mrs. Gadhia’s heart beats for rural population but are saddened by the fact that people (middle class and rich) who can afford to buy and use Solar Cooking and Energy do not want to use it people who want to (and need) use solar cookers cannot afford to buy it. They are trying to overcome the problem with Social Engineering and are confident that the people in rural area would take up use of it thankfully.
Trend for institutions moving towards clean-energy technologies on the rise
It has been positive noticeable change as earlier the decisions to go for solar systems were based only on economics but now with awareness many institutions are willing to go for clean-energy technology even if the pay-back is not as attractive.
Role of innovation in Gadhia Solar’s move to a greener future?
It is only due to innovation that Gadhia Solar could make a mark in the field of Solar Energy. With the introduction of Solar Concentrators and its commercialization they introduced a product that fulfilled peoples need i.e. to cook faster and all items. For community cooking, they got feedback that there was need for Solar system which would enable cooking in the comfort of a kitchen and thus introduced Solar technology. Where, the solar rays were reflected and concentrated in the kitchen through a small opening in the wall allowing cooking in comfort of a kitchen. They then introduced Solar Steam Cooking where solar steam is used for cooking meals for thousands.
Comment on India’s Solar Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change and how it can shape the prospects of the green and clean-tech sector
“We feel that it is a very important step and will bring Green and Clean-tech Sector to Center Stage. Untill now the area was dominated by enthusiasts and idealists who drove the field with dedication and perseverance but now professionalism has to come in to take it to the next stage” – Gadhia Solar
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