Something to Boast Of for Delhi Government: Thyagraj Stadium

Thyagraj Stadium project will be completed on time. Finally something for which the government and officials can boast of. In addition Thyagaraj Stadium will generate its own power

It could well be the first Commonwealth Games project by the Delhi government to be unveiled on time: Thyagaraj Stadium is expected to open at the end of December. The stadium, which has been touted as the first green stadium in the country, will also be the first government building to use a gas-based turbine for its power needs.

Interestingly, the green stadium has been one of the few Games-related projects that has been meeting its deadline, a fact that could be an achievement for an otherwise beleaguered government that has been behind schedule on almost all other projects.

It is however, the stadium’s green features that are drawing attention. Apart from the usage of environment-friendly material like fly-ash bricks and specialized glasses, the stadium is going to install a gas-based turbine for its electricity needs. The turbine, which was bought from the US and will be assembled in Switzerland, costs Rs 19 crore and generates 2.5MW of power, said sources. ‘‘Usually, diesel generators are used in stadiums. However, with this turbine, we can not only generate our own electricity but also use the heat energy from the turbine to run our central AC,’’ added a senior official.

Apparently, the exhaust heat from the turbine, with the help of a vapour absorption machine (VAM), will combine with solar energy to power the entire air conditioning needs of the stadium. ‘‘This way, we shall cut down all running costs of the central AC,’’ added the source.

In fact, sources said that the turbine, which is expected to be installed permanently earlier next year in the stadium, could later even address the power needs of neighboring government buildings or simply be put in the grid. Added the official, ‘‘after the Games, the turbine can either be rented out to nearby government buildings as a mini-generating unit or be used to power residences.’’

Apart from the green turbine, it will be powered by PNG from IGL, the stadium is also planning to use solar energy on a large scale. ‘‘The roof of the stadium is quite large: 107X185 meters. So the solar energy generated is a lot, around 1MW, which is the largest in the country. This energy will be used within the building and also be put into the grid,’’ added the official.

The green aspects are quite varied in the stadium, say government officials. From specialized double-glazed glasses which have high light transmission but low heat transmission — to reduce AC load, to brick walls that have cavity to act as acoustic and thermal barriers, there are several firsts in the stadium.

Additionally, the stadium will, like other government buildings, have rainwater harvesting as well as an affluent treatment plant, so that water is treated and re-cycled for use within the stadium.

‘‘The idea was to leave the least carbon footprint. We are in fact, applying for a green building certification, called LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design). We have applied for the gold level, though we plan to reach the platinum (highest) level of certification,’’ said a source at the stadium.