Desperate times call for solar powered measures Nittur High School is a government aided school in Udupi, Karnataka. It is a Kannada medium school offering education from class 8th to 10th. The school has served as the ‘go to’ institution in the area for several generations of students, with minimal or no fee payment, and continues to do so. With many of its alumnus doing well in their respective fields, over the years it has inspired excellent academic performances from its students In recent times however, dwindling funds to support the institute and low student enrolment resulted in curtailed teaching staff and insufficient expenses for school maintenance. During these tough times, the alumnus stepped forward and took it upon themselves to bring back the past glory of the school. This resulted in planning and implementation of several progressive initiatives such as smart classes, computer labs as well as an initiative to implement solar net metering power plant for the school. CLEAN Member Vineeti Technologies, a green energy organization, has been designing and delivering energy solutions across Karnataka. It was therefore no surprise when the Nittur High School Alumnus reached out to Vineeti technologies with great expectations. To install the Solar net metering power plant, Vineeti Technologies carried out a site assessment and recommended a 3kW solar roof top net metering power plant based on the current andfuture power needs of the school. On securing the order, Vineeti Technologies designed, procured, installed and commissioned the 3 kW solar roof top net metering power plant in less than 15 days, with full cooperation and stage by stage approval from the Mangalore Electric Supply Company (MESCOM). This was just in time for the 50th year celebration of the Nittur High School in December 2019. The road to success, however, wasn’t achieved overnight. The school had an existing connection of 1kw sanctioned load that had to be enhanced to 3kw- requiring close coordination with MESCOM. The sourcing of key equipment, transporting them from other parts to Udupi and arranging for suitable fabrications locally within the short time frame was challenging. But seamless coordination between Vineeti Technologies teams at Bengaluruand at the project site in Udupi made it possible. We are happy to see that with the Solar Net metering Power plant commissioned, the School does not need to pay monthly electric bills anymore, which saves us INR 1500 to INR 1900 every month. More importantly, we believe our students who are from rural communities get to see the practical application of solar power on a daily basis , which would serve as an inspiration for many generations of students who come to study here” says ShriMurali Kadekar, Headmaster - Nittur High School, Udupi With the solar power plant installation, the schools is expected to save approximately INR 15,000 to INR 18,000 in the first year itself. This would mean cumulative savings of INR 2,25,000 in the next 10 years. With these cost effective, sustainable installations, the school is now able to channelize the savings towards other critical supplies for classrooms and labs, thereby making rapid strides towards realising its vision of low-cost quality education Stay Informed