Tirupati, one of the richest temples in the world is setting standards so high in renewable energy, which is making other temples follow suit..
According to BBC the lord venketeshwaras shrine has an annual revenue of about $340 Million(about 1800 crores). And about 70,000 - 1,00,000 people visit the temple on a daily basis.
LV Subramanyam is the executive officer of the temple trust.
"While we currently use a mix of conventional and non-conventional energy sources, our aim is make the place more reliant on sustainable sources of energy," he says "Most of our devotees are progressive. In a religious place like Tirumala, we can set the example by going green. Probably the impact will be much more than normal government advertisements or publicity."
Renewable initiatives
- Solar panels on the kitchen roofs.
Inside the temple complex, is the large multi-storey building which is dedicated to just one thing - cooking free meals for pilgrims. Several cooks work in tandem stirring large pots of rice, curry and vegetables. Nearly 50,000 kilos of rice along with lentils are cooked here every day.
Open all day, this community kitchen is the biggest green project for the temple.
Located on the roof of this building are rows of solar dishes that automatically move with the angle of the sun, capturing the strong sunlight.
Then the energy is used to convert water into high pressure steam, which cooks the food in the kitchen below. Generating over 4,000kgs of steam a day at 180º C, this makes the cooking faster and cheaper. As a result, an average of 500 litres of diesel fuel is saved each day.
- Wind turbines
Companies like Suzlon and Enercon have donated turbines which generate a combined total of 7.5 megawatts of power.
A Tirupati-based company called Green Energy Solutions now wants to develop multiple wind farms to supply the entire temple's energy.
