Hyderabad: A 15-year-old student from the city has set up a solar plant worth Rs 7.75 lakhs from his savings to provide clean energy to an orphanage.
Although unusual for most teenagers, Darsh Tibrewala, a grade 10 student aims to support orphanages around the city.
A student at the Oakridge International School, Drash started an initiative named ‘Project HOPES’ (Helping Orphans Procure Education and Sustainability), a student-led NGO to help underprivileged students become contributing members of society and global citizens.
The teenager managed to raise funds through different charitable trusts and donated a solar panel system to the orphanage, Vejbal Bal Nivas located at Shivarampally in Rajendranagar on the city outskirts.
The Panel inaugurated in the presence of his family members and some well-wishers on Sunday will now provide children with a reliable and sustainable source of energy.
Over the last four years, Drash has been visiting many orphanages in Hyderabad and teaching them several different important life skills such as hygiene and health.
According to him, the idea for the project came about after he learnt that the students at the orphanage were to learn new things.
“I have always believed that we have a responsibility to give back to our communities and to help as many people as we can. When I learned about the challenges facing the orphanage, I knew that I had to help them,” said Drash.
The project has been well received by the children, staff, and volunteers at the orphanage, who are grateful for Darsh’s generosity.
“We are so grateful for Darsh’s donation of the solar panel system and his work here. The children have already benefited greatly from the increased access to power, and we know that this will make a positive impact on their lives for years to come,” said the secretary of Hyderabad Children’s Aid Society, Jeny Gupta.
The initiative will also help in teaching Darsh’s peers, and orphanage students to know the importance of community service.
Chairman of Tibrewala Electronics Ltd, Jyothi Prakash Tibrewala, head doctor at Walk-In Clinic, Dr Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, and chairman of Siyaram Silk Mills, Ramesh Poddar were present on the occasion.
The guests said, “The use of renewable energy is not only beneficial for the environment, but it also provides a sustainable source of power for the daily needs of this home. This project will not only reduce the cost of electricity but will also create a safer and more reliable power source for the children.”
Significance of the new Solar Panel
The system provides power to the lights, appliances, and other essential equipment, reducing the orphanage’s reliance on traditional power sources and freeing up resources that can be used to help the children in other ways.
It is expected to save the orphanage one lakh rupees every year with savings of Rs 22 to 27 lakh and 3 lakh units of power consumption expected over 20 years.
It is a 540 Watt monocrystalline type panel providing a 10KW power Solar Rooftop and producing green energy.
Set up at a cost of Rs 7.75 lakh, the Panels are procured from Tata Power and installed by KehanSri Solar
The initial power consumption before the solar panel was installed was 1800 units per month whereas the power bill used to be Rs 15000 per month.
With the new unit, power consumed has come down to 500 units and the bill is reduced to Rs 4500 per month. There is a steep reduction of 66 percent in the bill amount.
According to Darsh, “it is an investment not only in a monetary sense but an investment in our future, our lives, and our earth. The sun is a free, sustainable, clean resource we can leverage in place of conventional electricity to power our lives.”
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