Member - AUROVILLE CONSULTING

Program for Responsible Energy Management (PREM) introduces energy conservation and energy efficiency practices, and plans to maximise grid-connected rooftop solar PV installation practices in municipal buildings and facilities in Tamil Nadu. Auroville Consulting provided strategic consultancy services to the Commissionerate for Municipal Administration, Tamil Nadu, and trained 160 municipal energy managers in conducting building energy audits and implementing energy efficieny programs.

Under the Smart City Challenge by the Government of India, 98 Cities were nominated by the Ministry of Urban Development to apply for funding under the Smart Cities program. As part of this mission, Auroville Consulting undertook the task of institutionalising the Citizen Engagement for the Bhubaneswar Municipal Administration, in order to better answer the pressing development needs of the city and its residents.

Auroville Consulting installed a pilot Solar PV-Thermal (PVT) Hybrid System with 8 PVT collectors and an electrical peak power of 2 KWp and a thermal peak power of 10 kWt. This is a new technology that combines solar photovoltaics and solar thermal in a single system. The project aims to test and optimize the PVT hybrid system for the Indian context (climate, angle of collectors etc.) to monitor system performance, to undertake a comparison of system cost and actual power output with more conventional systems and to demonstrate Solarus Technology to potential Indian partners and clients. Services provided by Auroville Consulting include project Management, monitoring and evaluation.

Integrating distributed energy generation into the grid is a challenge for grid operators around the world. In 2012, Tamil Nadu limited the amount of SPV grid penetration on the low tension side of the distribution transformer (DT) to 30% of the DT rated capacity. Auroville Consulting conducted a study of two transformers in Auroville, to understand the technical implications if any, of approaching the grid penetration limit. Measurements indicate that the import of active energy from the grid reduced in proportion to the SPV generation. The study also showed that line voltages across the low-tension terminals of the distribconducted a study of two transformers in Auroville, to understand the technical implications if any, of approaching the grid penetration limit.ution transformer increases utmost by 1% to 1.2% (monthly average) when SPV is ON, with the phase to neutral voltage remaining within the acceptable range of 230V ± 8%.

Energy Conservation & Efficiency is a guidebook designed for responsible energy management. This publication is devised to help residents understand various technologies available in the market and make premeditated choices in choosing the most energy efficient appliances. It provides tips in achieving energy savings for common electrical appliances used in households and also lists benefits of switching to energy efficient fixtures in an environmental perspective. Results presented in this show that there is substantial energy saving and CO2 emission reduction by energy conservation and efficiency initiatives.