Visaka’s solar roofing to power battery houses for Indian Army in Ladakh

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Visaka Industries, a Telangana-based sustainable product developer, will supply its ATUM solar roofing for a battery house pilot project in Ladakh. The solar battery house is an innovative design by renowned innovator and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk that is built to shelter the Indian Army from Ladakh’s freezing winter.

ATUM is claimed to be India’s first patented integrated solar roofing solution that serves all the functions of a traditional roof while giving 20% more installed capacity than conventional solar panels in the same space. Made to withstand heavy snowfall, ATUM can bear loads of up to 450 kg/sqft and can regulate temperature with a higher efficiency.

Visaka Industries has provided four ATUM panels that can generate 1.3 KW of electricity for this project. Completed in two working days, the walls of the house are made of mud, acting as a thermal conductive shelter for the soldiers. The battery house is the first of many similar collaborations for housing solutions in the future.

Speaking about the project, Sonam Wangchuk said, “We hope that this will not only become a solar roof, but a solar roof that shelters our forces who normally feel very cold in the Ladakhi temperatures. Another novel idea that we are using is the batteries of a battery house as thermal mass that will keep the heat of the day to last throughout the night.”

Vamsi Gaddam, Joint Managing Director of Visaka Industries, said, “As Ladakh is not connected to the national electricity grid, ATUM aims to provide consistent renewable energy supply to our soldiers. Addressing both roofing and power requirement issues, with ATUM, we can make choices that can save our wallet, planet and the future of the coming generations.”

Visaka Industries and Sonam Wangchuk plan to replicate this solution in other residential establishments in Ladakh.

Founded in 1983, Visaka Industries has multiple product portfolios, ranging from hybrid solar roofs to corrugated cement sheets, fiber cement boards and manmade fiber yarn.

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