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Solar Power for Napier Museum

  • An integrated solar bank comprising 36 solar panels has been made ready to meet the power requirements of the Napier museum here.The solar energy generated from the bank will replace the electricity that is currently being used to run the gadgets and appliances in the art gallery and museum office. The unit will be operational from next week.The single-phase solar power conditioner unit has been installed atop the museum office building.The energy will be sourced to the KCS Panicker's art gallery and to the office of the museum director. The conversion to solar energy is expected to considerably reduce the power consumption, said museum director K Udaya Varman.
  • "We used to pay over Rs 1 lakh for the electricity bills. So we explored various options to cut down on the bills. Switching to solar energy seemed the best option," he said. The solar bank will generate four KW power. Each panel generates 30v and a series of five such panels is linked to form the bank.The project undertaken by KELTRON has been completed at a cost of Rs 30 lakh. The conversion to solar power will cut down the current power consumption of museum from 120KW to almost half."The capacity of the solar bank can be enhanced in the future depending on the requirement. The batteries are also replaceable," said an official associated with the project.The grid is designed in such a way that the supply of power is ensured even during cloudy or rainy days. A portion of the power that is not used for output will automatically be stored in the batteries.
  • The museum has also installed 28 independent solar panels to light up the garden and museum premises. The panels are mounted on poles measuring 7.5 metres.The energy absorbed in the panel is transferred to the battery that illuminates the LED bulbs at night."This would prevent complete black out and will ensure energy efficiency and brighter luminance. All the LEDs are specially designed for the museum," said the official.The museum had introduced LED lights as part of the eco-friendly lighting scheme.

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