Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt.Ltd. (Gadhia Solar) is a company promoted by Shirin Gadhia and Deepak Gadhia, who are also co-founders of their NGO called Eco-center ICNEER. ICNEER is the abbreviation for International Center for Networking, Ecology, Education and Reintegration.
Both Gadhia Solar and ICNEER share the same philosophies, i.e. to promote sustainable development, taking both ecology and economy into consideration.
The long-term objective of ICNEER is to bring people closer to Nature and help them become useful citizens of Planet Earth.
Gadhia Solar sees itself as the technical arm of ICNEER and strives to propagate appropriate technologies from within the country and abroad.
The team behind Gadhia Solar and ICNEER has been at the forefront of solar development in India for the last 15 years. They have now begun working on developing other applications for solar concentrators, in close co-operation with the inventors, Dr. Dieter Seifert and Wolfgang Scheffler, to make them locally more accessible and affordable.
[Text for this page was adapted from http://gadhiasolar.net/aboutus.html]
News and recent developments
Snow-capped mountains can be seen in the background of the solar cooking system
- November 2006: An article by M.A. Siraj, appearing in the November/December 2005 issue of Refocus magazine, highlights a solar cooking system installed by Gadhia Solar Energy Systems for the Indian Army. Here is an excerpt: "The Indian Army has commissioned a giant solar cooking system at Leh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Located in the Ladakh region at 4,000 meters, it is said to be the world’s highest altitude solar cooking system with the capacity to prepare food for 500 army personnel. Mr. Deepak Gadhia of Gadhia Solar Energy Systems … [said] this was one of the most challenging projects undertaken by his company as the team had to work in extremely adverse climate conditions such as snow, cold winds and sub-zero temperatures. … Prior to solar cooking being introduced, the army kitchen at this base was using nearly 50 kilograms of liquefied petroleum gas and 70 liters of diesel each day to cook food. Described as an icy desert, the region has no vegetation and hence no firewood. Diesel and gas cylinders are transported by air for the Army and the tribal population. The solar cooking system has halved the consumption of these fuels. Gadhia says the heat is generated by five pairs of 9.5 square meter parabolic reflectors which produce steam that is piped down to the kitchen for cooking purpose." Due to the cold climate, the system requires thick pipe insulation, and must be regularly drained of water when not in use.
See also
External links
- A long list of institutional solar steam cooking systems that have been installed
- http://gadhia-solar.com
Contact
Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd.
86, Old GIDC Gundlav
Valsad - 396 035
Gujarat
India
Tel: +0091-2632-222423