Visaka Industries, Sonam Wangchuk Join Hands for Solar Roofing Project in Ladakh

This solar battery house is an innovative design by Sonam Wangchuk and it uses indigenous materials for passive solar heating for buildings.

In a bid to provide shelter to the Indian Army soldiers from the extreme Ladakhi winters, Visaka Industries has partnered with Sonam Wangchuk, a renowned innovator and education reformist.

Under this partnership, which is for a pilot project in Ladakh, Visaka Industries has provided its solar roofing solution called – ATUM to build a solar battery house for the soldiers of Indian Army.

This solar battery house is an innovative design by Sonam Wangchuk and it uses indigenous materials for passive solar heating for buildings.

ATUM is the country’s first patented integrated solar roofing solution that serves all functions of a traditional roof while giving 20 percent higher installed capacity as compared to the conventional solar panels in the same space.

Commenting on the solar battery house, 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 a thermal mass that will keep the heat of the day to last throughout the night. We are very grateful to ATUM and Visaka Industries for joining us in this innovative experiment.”

The company explained about ATUM-powered roofs that “not only does the roof generate power, it also earns for you. Made to withstand heavy snowfall, ATUM can bear loads of up to 450 kg/sqft and can regulate temperature with higher efficiency.”

Moreover, the company has provided 4 ATUM panels that can generate up to 1.3 KW of electricity under this project.

This project has been completed in two working days. Besides this, the walls of the house are made of mud and acting as a thermal conductive shelter for the soldiers.

The company further added that the battery house is the first of many similar collaborations for housing solutions in the future.

“We are excited to partner with Wangchuk for his sustainable initiative. 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,” said Vamsi Gaddam, joint managing director of Visaka Industries.

Meanwhile, Sonam Wangchuk and Visaka Industries planned to replicate this model in other residential establishments also in Ladakh.