Over 300-year-old St Thomas Cathedral in South Bombay has become the oldest building in the city to have solar panels installed on its structure - an initiative to go green and move ahead with time.
This initiative intends to reduce around 10 tonnes of carbon footprint every year. The panels were installed without drilling a single hole in the entire structure only after careful monitoring by a conservation architect.
Sheetal Gandhi, a conservation architect, and project supervisor said, “I always believe that unlike constructing new buildings, conservation is a sustainable and environment-friendly practice. Also, to have heritage buildings with green initiatives like solar panels or rainwater harvesting is in line with the idea of restoring historic buildings. The idea is to make the historic buildings' future ready to be able to thrive in the modern environment.”
Commenting on the mode of installation, she said, “Basically, we ensured not to puncture the walls or the roof of the structure. We came up with the idea of using a ‘counterweight’ technique in which the panels would rest on the roof. Even the counterweight technique was used only after getting approval by two structural engineers.”
Vasanth Moses, one of the church trustees, said, “Using solar energy to generate electricity is an environmentally friendly and sustainable method. Though the initial cost of installation is high, it will prove to be a good decision in the long run. I also appreciate this beautiful decision taken by my seniors for installing the panels and heading towards sustainability."
“The church has set an excellent example for society by undertaking this green initiative. The excess electricity generated can be transferred to the government, which is mutually beneficial to both the church and the government,” added the trustee.
Rizwan Chunawala, head of sales, MSS RenewTech LLP (the company that will install the solar panel), said, “This church is an iconic structure built more than 300 years ago. A lot of engineering efforts have been put into installing the solar plant in a certain way to not affect the stability of the heritage structure of the church. We are immensely glad to successfully execute it. After installing the solar panels, the church generates 19,500-kilowatt hours (kWh) per annum resulting in good annual savings on the electricity bills.”
“But the best part about the solar panels, from an environmental point of view, is that it will have a great impact on carbon footprint as it will reduce 9.75 tonnes of carbon emission in one year,” Rizwan added.
Interesting facts about the church :
—Church completed 300 years and celebrated its tercentenary in 2018.
—The foundation stone of the church was first laid in 1676, although it was only finally consecrated for divine service in 1718.
— It is the first Anglican church in Mumbai (then called Bombay).
— The Churchgate railway station derives its name from the St. Thomas Cathedral, as the station was linked to the cathedral by a road leading through one of the three gates of the fortified island city of Mumbai.
— King George V and Queen Mary attended divine service at the church in 1911 prior to their departure to the third Delhi Durbar held in the Coronation Park, Delhi. They occupied the chairs in the first row and the chairs have been preserved till now with names of the King and Queen written in brass plates.
— After completion of a major restoration work the cathedral was selected in 2004 for a UNESCO Asia-Pacific heritage conservation award.
— The present pre-school adjacent to the church was once a stable for horses used by the churchgoers.
