Sri Lankan apparel manufacturing giant Hirdaramani Group has completed the first stage of a long-term solar panel project in a move that marks the largest rooftop solar installation in the country’s apparel sector.
The installations are part of the Suryadhanavi – meaning ‘generated from the sun’ – project by Windforce (Pvt) Ltd, a pioneer in the process of generating wind power to an expanding National Grid, constructing and maintaining power plants that meet the growing demand for green energy.
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Through its investment in Windforce, this on-going venture in renewable energy is part of the Hirdaramani Sustainability Strategy that focuses on the core pillars of planet, people, product and community, and has seen the manufacturer undergo large-scale changes to build greener more sustainable facilities across the island.
The current installation features 21,000 solar panels generating 7.7 MW, leveraging mono PERC modules. Used for the first time in Sri Lanka by Windforce, PERC modules optimise the efficiency of solar panels by significantly improving light capture; a technology that is rapidly making standard solar cells obsolete.
“At Hirdaramani we have consistently pioneered sustainability projects in the apparel industry and in the country. The Suryadhanavi project is an exciting new step in this journey and we are committed to building on the success of these first implementations,” says Nikhil Hirdaramani, director, Hirdaramani Group. “With growing pressure on the environment, we understand the importance for leaders of industry to set the right example and invest in greener more sustainable manufacturing and processes thus creating an impetus for change.”
It is envisaged that through Suryadhanavi, 13.4GWh will be added annually to the national energy mix, accounting for more than 30% of electricity consumption by the group. This would support an annual reduction of 10,200 tonnes of C02 emissions into the atmosphere, the equivalent of removing more than 2,200 passenger vehicles from the road each year, Hirdaramani says.
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By GlobalData“Hirdaramani is an organisation that believes in driving positive change while encouraging and empowering employees and businesses to think in a new way. We are thrilled to be part of this mega project driven by Windforce that will see solar installations spreading across the island making a real impact on the energy security of the country while drastically cutting carbon footprints across industries,” Hirdaramani added.
