File Photo: M Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bengaluru
The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has seen some very energizing performances in its cricketing history, and now the sporting venue hopes to, quite literally, produce its own power and eventually get off the grid. All thanks to the Bengaluru sun.
The stadium recently took a giant green leap by installing a 400 kilowatt solar power system on the ground's eastern stands as a part of its green drive. As far as generating electricity is concerned, the management says this is just the beginning.
"We've put a 400 KV solar on the rooftop. We are currently generating about 1800 units per day which will be around six lakh units per year. So if this is successful, we plan on putting it on the western stand as well. A total of 1.3 megawatt is what we want to generate," said Brijesh Patel, honorary secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
The powerful stadium flood lights, which have lit up many exciting cricketing moments, will however continue to operate on generators. "As and when the technology increases, the LED becomes more powerful, I think we'll be able to use it. At the moment though we are unable to do so because it because floodlights need much more power," explains Mr Patel.
This four decade old stadium, located in the heart of Bengaluru, has been adopting green initiatives for some time now.
The stadium has it's own waste management system and rain water harvesting set up. It has also applied for Sewage Treatment Plant keeping in mind the future requirement of water for sports enthusiasts during the matches. Going solar is the natural next step, say stadium officials.
The stadium hopes that soon it will be producing excess power - enough to put some into the power grid. And Greener cricket - that's certainly something to cheer about.