The solar panels provide electricity to the streetlights and the auditorium
building, which is spread in an area of 1,000 sq meters. The biomass waste
generated from the gardens and the Ridge area is converted into compost to
grow organic vegetables.
As many as 14 different government organizations have joined hands in the
last one year to turn President Estate, that houses 800 families, into a green
township.
All wet garbage is now being converted into compost by self-help groups formed
by women who live in the estate, only organic waste goes into municipal bins.
The ministry of renewable energy has provided Rs. 3.2 crore for the solar
panels put up to power the auditorium and the streetlights. This money would
be recovered in a period of three to four years by way of energy savings.
Another energy-saving measure adopted is the use of compact fluorescent lamps
in the entire complex in place of the traditional lamps. This has helped save
power worth Rs. 1.84 crore – a sum of money that can light up almost
900 villages for a year.
Rashtrapati Bhawan has now decided to apply for an ISO 140001 certification
for environment management and registration of the model with Clean Development
Mechanism to earn carbon credits.
The Clean Energy Process
1. Rashtrapati Bhawan has saved 28.8 lakh kilowatt hours of electricity between
October 2006 and June-2009.
2. It meant 30 lakh tones of less carbon emissions and a saving Rs. 1.84 crore.
3. Underground water table below Rashtrapati Bhawan has improved between one
to five meters because of extensive rainwater harvesting. In most parts of
Delhi, underground water level has been falling.
4. Unlike rest of Delhi, where garbage is not collected every day, SHG in
Rashtrapati Bhawan does it every day and then segregates it. Wet garbage goes
for composting and the inorganic part is disposed by the NDMC.
