In this era when most of us are debating on the need for alternative energy sources, meet Dinesh Pagariya from Bengaluru, the brain behind an extraordinarily designed green home that runs on Net Zero Energy. Dinesh has surely set an example of how solar power could be harnessed for good. Right from the construction phase of his house in Jayanagar, to its completion and current operations, this zero energy building did not demand a single unit of electricity and neither will it in the years to come.

Meet Dinesh Pagariya

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Dinesh is a Bengaluru based real-estate developer and green enthusiast who always stressed high on living a green life. From choosing an electric-powered car over the conventional vehicles to running an off-grid office operation, Dinesh keeps on taking the green route in every possible way.

The Idea – Fully Air-Conditioned Yet Net Zero Energy Building

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As an active green enthusiast, Dinesh found himself intensely interested in renewable energy. He found an opportunity to integrate solar technology when he designed and constructed his cousin’s house 2 years earlier. The construction of this house was flawlessly completed which motivated Dinesh even more towards his dream to build his own eco-friendly house.

He took the decision of starting his dream home project in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar neighbourhood. He enthusiastically put forward his ideas before his engineers and architects and began the project on the same principles of Solar Energy.

7 Interesting Things About Dinesh’s Fully Air-Conditioned Net Zero Energy Home

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1. ‘0’ Electricity Availed From BESCOM

Well, installing solar units is gaining a lot of popularity among numerous ecologically conscious people, but, using solar power during the construction phase is somewhat rare.  Dinesh has not availed electricity from the government electricity department, instead, he completely relied on Solar energy. Yes, he harnessed the solar energy to generate his own power.

Despite the early inhibitions, Dinesh’s idea was backed by his architect and engineers who ambitiously executed the project. At the beginning of the construction, more precisely during the foundation work, a small 4Kw plant was installed on top of the workers shed. As the work progressed further, the engineers not only increased the capacity of the unit but also ensured that Dinesh will not need not worry about availing any power connection from BESCOM in the future. Dinesh could save nearly Rupees 7-8 lakhs alone which could have gone wasted on getting a temporary power connection with BESCOM during construction.

Built in a span of just 12 months, this house is truly a net zero energy home which has surely set new standards in green construction.

2. Quality & Supply Of Power

Generating own power was a great idea, which was again backed by few apprehensions. But, once the idea started to take real shape all the worries of the architects, engineers, workers and for Dinesh, himself flew away.

During the construction phase, none of the workers had any complaints about the quality and supply of power at any part of the day. The work mostly began at around 10 am, till then the batteries were fully charged to the maximum level and the workers could directly consume whatever energy was produced. Also, during the hours of break, the energy generated was stored in the batteries. This stored energy was used by the workers in their quarters.

3. House Generates Nearly 150 Watts Of Energy

Well, the construction did begin with the installation of a small power plant, but the plant was upgraded as the building construction proceeded and ultimately shifted in a higher capacity over the completed house.

Currently, the house has nearly 133 solar panels installed on top of the roof which generates nearly 150 watts of energy. These 133 panels together are capable of generating 80 units of power during one single day.

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4. Total Investment And Maintenance Cost

The total cost of the entire 20 KW solar set-up is around 36 lakhs which include the solar panels, fabricated steel structure, batteries, inverters, and electrical accessories.

Another interesting thing is, the inverters used are connected to 2 battery sets which have a capacity of 1000 each. These batteries are totally maintenance free and have a lifespan of around 10-15 years depending upon the usage.

5. Technology Powered

The system is also armed with a wireless technology and connected to a Wi-Fi modem, this allows the owner to control the generation and consumption of energy practically from any corner of the world.

6. Production And Consumption

As mentioned the 133-panel force can generate nearly 80 units of power each day. Roughly the house would consume nearly 18 – 20 units in a day which include operations like centralized air conditioner, washing machine, bore well, refrigerator and other appliances. Its quite clear, the solar setup produces 3 times the extra power for the owner which can be stored too. In the future too, this house doesn’t see any dependencies for power supply from the Government.

7. Cloudy Days Are No Problem

Yes, cloudy days did seem like a challenge to Dinesh as the general solar plants do fail at generating the desired power during rainy seasons. But to overcome this, the engineers imported thin-film solar panels from Japan, these solar panels are based on CIS Cells.

Unlike the regular panels, these solar panels are thin and lighter in weight and allow a person to easily walk over them. While normal PV panels demand sunrays to generate power, these thin-film panels can generate power from the break of dawn by using minor luminous flux of sunlight. This means panels can keep generating power by making use of sunbeams even in overcast conditions.

Final Thoughts

Dinesh also founded JJJ Solar following the feat of his solar ventures. JJJ Solar is a renewable energy firm which aims to connect like-minded experts and educate people on renewable energy and team up to construct more solar-powered net zero energy homes and commercial properties.

Read: “Project Solarise” A Bold And Innovative Step Towards Sustainable Housing Development

Curated by editor at  Wienerberger India

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