Mumbai students guide the way to an energy efficient future

Highlighting the need to use more renewable sources of energy, about 75 students from 25 schools in Mumbai presented projects during a day-long science exhibition on Saturday, focusing on energy conservation.

As 13-year-old Vedant Dev presented his energy efficient model of a smart city at MVM educational campus at Andheri, his only aim was to make viewers understand the importance of different kinds of renewable energy.

A project on display at Young Energy Saver event organised by Reliance Energy at MVM Education Campus, Andheri in Mumbai, on Saturday. (Pramod Thakur/HT PHOTO)

“If India as a country can launch over a hundred satellites into space at one go, it will not be a difficult task for converting our cities to become energy-efficient,” said Dev, Class 8 student from Children’s Academy, Malad. “My model comprises of solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power sources and after making it I realised how careless we can be when we waste electricity. If we just remember to switch off the light when we leave the room, a lot of energy can be saved.”

Students showcase their projects on renewable sources of energy at the Young Energy Saver event organized by Reliance Energy at MVM Education Campus in Andheri on Saturday.

Highlighting the need to use more renewable sources of energy, about 75 students from 25 schools in Mumbai presented projects during a day-long science exhibition on Saturday, focusing on energy conservation. Seventy five unique models, handmade by children, using the concepts of solar, wind, hydroelectricity, tidal, geothermal and even microbial fuel cells were on display at the exhibition.

“After we were told about the benefits of renewable energy, along with other students, I developed a model of a city that lights up when vehicles move on roads,” said Arjun Balveer Singh, a class 7 student from DN Nagar Municipal Marathi School, Andheri (West). “We wired the model from its base and connected it to a wind turbine. When our toy vehicle moves on the road, the pressure allows the turbine to move and produce electricity.”

A student’s interpretation of a smart city at the Young Energy Saver event organised by Reliance Energy at MVM Education Campus in Andheri on Saturday.

The topic of energy conservation was divided by Reliance Energy through two phases – school awareness phase and a science expo. In the first phase, students from Classes 5 to 8 were explained about energy conservation through interactive audio-visuals, presentations and flip charts while the second phase was the science exposition held on Saturday.

“The students have put on a good show and it clearly shows that they understand the need for renewable energy. Their efforts will be reflected through better energy conservation at the household level. The expo comes at a time when the government’s target to reach 175 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy by 2022 is in the making,” said Debasish Banerjee, chief executive officer, Reliance Energy.

Actor Divya Dutta poses for a photo during the Young Energy Saver event organised by Reliance Energy at MVM Education Campus in Andheri on Saturday.