The largest solar tree in the world has come up in West Bengal’s Durgapur. Installed at CSIR-CMERI Residential Colony, Durgapur, the solar tree has the capacity of producing 12,000-14,000 units of power annually. Also, the designing of the tree has ensured the highest exposure of every solar PV panel to sunlight. The tree also incorporates cutting-edge technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) for inspection of agricultural fields, real-time humidity and soil analysis, etc. Read on to know the details.
The IoT-Enabled Solar Tree Can Be A Smart Alternative To Fossil Fuels
Durgapur’s CSIR-CMERI has created the World’s largest solar tree with advanced features to monitor energy generation in real-time. A solar tree is basically a metal construction that resembles a tree and has solar panels installed on the branches. These panels produce solar power. The CMERI solar tree has 35 panels having a capacity of 330 watts. The solar PV panels can receive maximum sunlight and also create minimum shadow in the zone beneath. Also, Kerala has India’s first solar-powered ferry.
👏 World’s Largest Solar Tree!
It has been developed by CSIR-CMERI. The installed capacity of the #SolarTree is above 11.5 kWp and has an annual capacity to generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power.#AatmaNirbharBharat@CSIR_IND pic.twitter.com/row2M7JMma
— Mann Ki Baat Updates मन की बात अपडेट्स (@mannkibaat) September 2, 2020
Unlike roof-mounted solar facilities, these solar PV panels have inclination arms that are adjustable as per requirement. The energy generated from these solar trees can act as an excellent alternative to fossil fuels in agriculture. Every solar tree has the capability to save nearly 12 tons of carbon dioxide emissions being released into the atmosphere with fossil fuels.
Also Read: This Old Bengaluru Bus Is Now A Solar-Powered Toilet For Women
Achieving Sustainability Through Surplus Power
As per TOI reports, Director of CSIR-CMERI, Prof.(Dr.) Harish Hirani, said, “The installed capacity of the solar tree is above 11.5 kW ( 11,500 watts). It has the annual capacity to generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power”. He added, “The CSIR-CMERI developed solar tree besides being the world’s largest solar tree also has certain customizable features for application at diverse sites. The solar trees were designed in a manner to ensure minimum shadow area, thus potentially making these solar trees available for widespread usage in agricultural activities such as high capacity pumps, e-tractors and e-power tillers. Besides, the surplus generated power can be fed into an Energy Grid. This Agricultural Model can provide a consistent economic return and help the farmers counter the effects of the uncertain variations in agriculture-related activities, thus, making farming an economic and energy sustainable practice.”
MSMEs can purchase these solar trees costing ₹ 7.5 lakhs each to align their business models with the PM KUSUM ( Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme for farmers, to develop an energy grid based on renewable energy. There are e-suvidha kiosks as well that can be connected to the solar trees for real-time information from the agricultural database. The solar tree initiative is a revolutionary step towards making India eco-friendly and pollution-free. Meanwhile, did you know about Bangalore’s Solar Amma who uses solar-powered fan to roast corn?
First Published: September 04, 2020 3:14 PM