CHENNAI: Concerned about the climate crisis, two youngsters Praveen Sridharan and Mohamed Aaqib Quraishi decided to talk about it through their Instagram page Sunny Side Up, a year ago. With time, they realised that if there was nobody to provide solutions for the problems addressed then the initiative would go pointless.
Small steps
Four months back, the duo started a solar energy consultancy — GreenRun. “Solar is the cheapest medium of energy available. The idea of bringing a solar energy consultancy of our kind to the market is to fill the inefficiencies that we currently observe in the supply chain. Here, we are passionate about finding solutions to real-life problems such as climate change,” said Aquib. The duo don’t just sell solar panels but also educate clients. “We believe the only way to bolster solar into the Indian energy ecosystem is by educating families. We are offering solar for residential customers at zero upfront cost. This is the first time such a product is being introduced in the market. We call it Solar as a service,” he said.
Natural energy
Solar as a service is meant to bring the benefits of harnessing energy from the sun without having to own the system or worry yourself with the maintenance of the system. They have conducted awareness sessions in Ford Motors in OMR, Anna Nagar, and a few residential communities. After installing a solar panel at an independent house in Anna Nagar last week, they have two more projects lined up for next month. “Residential customers have always kept solar panels at an arms-length because of the high upfront installation costs. We want to make solar accessible and affordable to residential customers both independent and apartments. This option is unique as it doesn’t change the way customers pay for their electricity bills,” he said. The duo will be conducting sessions at corporates to make the transition effective for a sustainable environment.
A fair price
Solar panels can be expensive to get installed. However, paying only for the energy you consume can be liberating. Like electricity bills, clients will pay the consultancy for the energy the solar panels produce on a bimonthly basis. “Here, you pay a steady price, while the electricity board can hike their prices anytime. The bill you pay to us will be 15% cheaper than your current electricity bills,” said Aquib. For details, visit: greenruntech.com or call: 9840096312
