Delta ElectronicsManufacturing Green : DOING THEIR BIT

As a company we are environmentally-responsible and therefore, when we
started to build the Rudrapur factory, it was made clear that it would be a
'Green factory'. Even though we were aware that building a Green factory would
cost us 10-20% more than a conventional factory,” says Dalip Sharma, MD, Delta
Electronics.

The factory at Rudrapur, Uttarakhand was established with the mission 'to
provide innovative, clean and energy efficient energy solutions for a better
tomorrow.'

Out of the total 37,017 sq mts, approximately 20,359 sq mts has been
earmarked as Green area while in 16,657 sq mts of manufacturing space products
for power management, display solutions, components, industrial automation and
automotive electronics will be manufactured.

Designed and built using environmental conservation measures, it is India's
first green factory that incorporates eco-friendly energy saving practices and
waste management system. Registered with the Indian Green Building Council, the
factory seeks to establish a new benchmark in environmental conservation.

The Rudrapur factory is an endeavor for harmony with nature and the local
community and therefore every small detail of the factory is in sync with the
green building spirit. For instance, approximately 60% of the total area of the
factory has been kept open and green in order to benefit the lifestyle and
health of employees.

Various energy conserving techniques have been incorporated in the building
design for reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions using solar panels.
The R 407-an environmentally-friendly gas for air-conditioning-is one of them.

Considering that most buildings across the world are power guzzlers, a lot of
thought has gone into including power-saving features while designing the
factory.

The factory has invested in natural light harvesting for saving on
electricity by reducing carbon emissions by 36,800 lb every year. Moreover,
turbo ventilation saves 55,200 lb of carbon emission every year. About 200 turbo
vents have been installed in the factory which act as exhaust fans.

“The solar panels installed reduce green house gas emission by 5 mn lb and
the energy tapped is used for in-house usage of electricity requirements. Even
the glass used in the factory exterior is UV and temperature protected which
further reduces the air-conditioning costs,” says Sharma. The photo-voltaic
glass used on the facade also produces solar energy. What's more, the power
factor controller saves 12-15% electric energy by maintaining the power factor
at 0.99 instead of 0.85.

Another natural resource that is wasted in a conventional building is
'water'. For activities like drinking, flushing, and harvesting, more often than
not water fit for drinking is utilised resulting in depletion of the water
table. This factor too has been taken into account.

“The Sewage Treatment Plant has been put up to recycle and reuse water which
functions on anaerobic bacterial action and is used for non-contact
applications,” says Sharma. Storm water harvesting is also carried out to
conserve water.

Talking about the company's future, Sharma plans to increase the capacity to
meet the growing demand by opening a factory in April 2009 in Gurgaon, while
plans of opening another factory “somewhere down South” is also in the pipeline.
And as expected, both of these factories would be Green.

Source: Dataquest