This Bengaluru school has gone totally solar, and is also lighting up neighbouring villages

As the focus worldwide shifts to using renewable sources of energy in view of the rapid depletion of natural resources, one school in Bengaluru is setting an example by going completely solar.  

The Canadian International School (CIS) in Yelahanka completely switched to solar energy on March 22, 2016, on the occasion of the institution's 20th anniversary. 

"We wanted to take a landmark step. We wanted to give back to the community and at the same time teach our students about sustainability and planning for the future," Shweta Sastri, Executive Director, CIS, told The News Minute. 

A total of 1,850 solar panels have been installed on the rooftops within the school's campus and they produce up to 300 kilowatt (KW) per hour. The total cost of buying and fixing the panels was around Rs 3 crore.

CIS also follows a net-metering system, where the extra electricity produced is fed into the grid and the school is given credits for that. 

"We are carbon positive. We produce 5 lakh KW of electrical power in a year. Our requirement, however, is just 4.25 lakh KW. The excess 75,000 KW goes back to Bescom's electricity grid and is distributed to the houses in the neighbouring villages," Sastri stated. "We are helping them use clean energy even though they may not know about it."

The school has also set up a solar power panel on the ground for its students to learn about solar energy and its functioning. 

According to Sastri, "The students are very excited. They get to see how the panels work and the technology behind it. It is a hands-on learning experience for them."