At the first look, this house looks like any other. But it is different from other houses in ways more than one. That is why its occupants were neither affected by the power cuts last fortnight nor do they remember when it was the last time that they cooked on LPG-fuelled stove.

S.S. Raghunandan, a renewable energy technologist, adopted a green way to build his three-bedroom house in Vidyaranyapura. In an attempt to reduce carbon footprint, he installed a solar power generation unit. The unit produces enough energy to meet the needs of the household, and Mr. Raghunandan also manages to earn around Rs. 20,000 a year by selling additional power generated to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company.

The rooftop solar power unit generates 10 to 12 units of electricity every day, while the household requires only around 4 units a day. All appliances, including lights, fans, washing machine and refrigerator, run on solar energy.

Besides that, the solar power panels prevent direct sunlight from falling on the building, thus reducing the need for air-conditioners.

Mr. Raghunandan’s house also has a rooftop garden. Using bio-waste, organic manure is produced and used in the garden to grow plants. To top it all, the rain-water harvesting system adopted by the occupants makes the house an ideal eco-friendly one that is worth emulating by people in the urban jungle.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Tanu Kulkarni / Bengaluru – Friday – September 17th, 2015