Smart Renewable Energy Microgrid at Dayalbagh Educational Institute

Some weeks back we introduced you to the Renewable Energy efforts at Dayalbagh Educational Institute (DEI). We get a bit more technical this week and introduce you to the,

Smart Microgrid developed and implemented by the Institute.

The post is by Prof. Bhagwan Das, Professor of Renewable Energy in the Department of Electrical Engineering at DEI.

Prof. Bhagwan Das writes...

In order to carry out sustainable developmental activities in agreement with the concept of Eco-Village, DEI took bold initiatives in harnessing the renewable energy through Solar thermal and Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) power plants in 2010. Today, the institute has Solar Thermal Cooking systems in all the hostels. The whole university campus is powered by 11 Distributed Roof-Top Solar PV power Plants aggregating to a total of 668.2 kWp. 

To ensure efficient, reliable and economic operation of the distributed energy resources and achieve proper coordination among them, a need based R&D project to indigenously develop a Smart Micro Grid in the institute was started with support from DST’s Solar Energy Research Initiative (SERI) in 2014.

The Dayalbagh renewable energy smart microgrid is a modern, small scale electricity system comprising a group of distributed loads and distributed renewable energy resources acting as a single controllable entity in synergy with the grid. It is designed to achieve specific local goals, such as energy reliability, security, carbon emission reduction, diversification of energy sources, and cost reduction. Such smart microgrids are an ideal way to integrate renewable resources and form the building blocks of Smart Grids.

All the solar power plants at DEI are Hybrid PV Power Systems with battery storage to facilitate off-grid operation whenever required. The three phase DSP based, Grid Support Conditioners (GSC) are designed to operate as a multi-function power conditioning unit combining renewable energy sources on priority with the functionality of an industrial UPS system.

The effectiveness of renewable energy microgrid was evident during the major grid collapse on two consecutive days on 30th and 31st July 2012 in India when over 600 million people (nearly half of India's population), in 22 out of 28 states in India, were without power. The outage caused "chaos" for Monday morning rush hour, as passenger trains were shut down and traffic signals were non-operational Trains stalled for three to five hours. Several hospitals reported interruptions in health services, while others relied on back-up generators. Water treatment plants were shut down for several hours, and millions were unable to draw water from wells powered by electric pumps. Excessive use of diesel generators (a popular backup resource) caused local pollution and high cost for the consumers. However, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, having its own SPV microgrid, was not affected and the teaching – learning- co-curricular activities continued normally in a pollution free environment and economic fashion. Even on normal sun-shine days, the institute is self- sufficient in power and not affected by the frequent power outages. Under cloudy conditions, a careful battery management ensures uninterrupted power supply to the whole campus.  

INNOVATIVE FEATURES & BEST PRACTICES

The following features are being incorporated as part of the R&D project to develop the smart micro grid with remote monitoring, communication, control and fault diagnosis of DERs from a central control station, which would ultimately enable the development of a Decision Support System for Optimal efficiency, economics and reliability. 

• Display of Inverter parameters viz.  inverter voltage, current,  power, grid source for inverter parameters, solar current, voltage, power, solar irradiance, ambient temperature, heat sink temperatures, data logs etc. All of these parameters can be accessed from the central control station through our institute LAN. As per the requirement, the inverter behaviour can be controlled by remotely changing the software set points and selecting different modes of operations. All the inverters are on the institute LAN and accessible remotely through the front end program.

• Display of Load Parameters through integration of Smart Meters: Load currents, voltages, powers on all the outgoing circuits can be accessed at the central control station through smart meters over the institute LAN.

• Remotely controlled switchgear and change-over switches: Change-over switches for the selection of source (grid or solar) are installed for every outgoing circuit in various control rooms. A system has been designed and implemented to monitor the status of the switches and remotely control the selection through the software at the central control station.

• Battery charging: Battery charging is a very important feature of the system affecting the life of the battery and overall system efficiency. Battery charging is to be closely monitored and controlled so as to utilize the solar power fully and ensure float operation of the battery as far as possible. Grid charging schedules (in rainy, cloudy days) for all the 9 power plants are carefully scheduled to prevent overloading of the sub-station. 

• Water Pumping: A scheme is being designed for remote monitoring and control of water pumps in the institute for punctual and efficient operation of water pumps. This will be integrated to the central control system software. A prototype with remote control and monitoring using Short Messaging Service on GSM mobiles has been developed and implemented for field testing.

• String monitoring and fault diagnosis: With thousands of panels in the institute, it is difficult to identify a mal-functioning panel. The requirement has prompted development of a ZigBee based wireless monitoring system for string current measurement. All the measurements of a plant would be collected at a central computer for processing and analysis. An alarm would be raised if some string is found to be mal-functioning along with the geographical location of the string. A prototype of the same has been developed. 

The Dayalbagh Educational Institute initiative has demonstrated that Universities, building intellectual resources through teaching-learning and research, offer a perfect platform for establishing renewable energy microgrids. In addition to sustainable development through clean energy technologies and self-sufficiency in energy, a university microgrid is an ideal test bed for conducting indigenous research and development through UG & PG projects and Ph.D. thesis. This would ensure quality research with relevance as well as development of skilled man power and intellectual property in the area. Universities can design and implement model curriculum for vocational diploma and certificate courses in solar energy technologies, provide earn-while-you-learn schemes to the students and encourage entrepreneurial start-ups through incubation cells. 

Empowering Women through Education

Gandhiji said, “Educate one man, you educate one person, but educate a woman and you educate a whole civilization”.

When I look at my Mother and my Aunts, and all the other Women in that age group in Dayalbagh (in their 70s now), what is striking is the level of Education each one has. Many hold Doctorates and I have to still find one who has not done a Bachelors.

According to the Indian Census data, Women’s Literacy in India in 1951 was 8.81% and in 1961 was 15.35%. In those years, for the purpose of Census, those who could read and write with understanding above the age of 5 (later changed to 7) were considered literate.

And at the same time, here was an Indian community in 1950s-60s, where 100% of the women were literate and close to 100% of the young girls of that time will later go on to do their Bachelors/ Masters or Doctorates.

In today’s post, we take a trip sixty years back in time to the 1950s, a time when 

Women in Dayalbagh got empowered through Education,

a cornerstone of a progressive civilization.

This post is by Dr. Dayal Pyari Singh, an alumnus of Prem Vidyalaya Girls Intermediate College, who did her B.A. and B.T. from Women’s Training College (WTC) of Dayalbagh in 1958-59, and went on to Head one of the largest Girl’s Post-Graduate Colleges in India, Maharani Laxmibai Girls Govt. (Autonomous) College, Bhopal.

Spread Love...
Anurag
--------------------

Dr. Dayal Pyari Singh writes…

Dayalbagh was founded on Basant Panchami day (20^th Jan) in 1915 by Revered Sir Anand Sarup, as an Ashram or the spiritual home for the followers of the Faith. On the very next day, was laid the foundation of the first building in Dayalbagh, which was for an educational institution, the Radhasoami Educational Institute (later Dayalbagh Educational Institute). There was no plan of the building. Revered Sir Anand Sarup drew a long line with His walking stick on the ground from south to north on the sandy soil, decked with thorny bushy shrubs of xerophytic plants, parallel to the Poiya Ghat Road (which leads to the Yamuna Banks in Agra).¹

The straight line took shape, under the able supervision of Revered Mehtaji Maharaj, into a colossal structure with huge Gothic arches of red bricks merging into the crimson rays of the sun.

The education system right from the beginning (1^st January 1917) had several distinguishing features, and reflected the glorious vision of the Founding Father. One of the forward thinking one was starting of co-educational classes up to class V right from the first day. At a time when girls were reluctantly sent even to purely girls’ schools, this was perhaps the only school in the country having co-educational classes.

On October 14, 1918, an extraordinary meeting of the Radhasoami Satsang Sabha passed a resolution which made Primary Education compulsory for boys and girls residing in Dayalbagh (literacy rate in India, i.e. reading and writing with comprehension was about 1.5% for women at that time). It was also resolved to open a girls’ school in the same meeting.

Revered Sir Anand Sarup was a great believer in the power and influence of women in moulding the character of their children. He asserted, “It is really the women on whom rests the mental, moral and spiritual development of the coming generation”. He further explained, “We understand very well that as long as girls are not properly brought up and their education is not properly arranged, the Satsang community cannot progress as much as we want”.

He stated that “…progress of India mainly depends on women. I wish that the Satsangis pay special attention to this matter and make proper arrangements for the education of their daughters and sisters”.

With this context, Prem Vidyalaya, a Middle school for girls, was started in 1930 and raised to High School standard four years later and to the Intermediate standard in 1939.

Revered Mehtaji Maharaj further summed up the motivation for Women’s education thus, “India expects her women folk to kindle the flame of learning within themselves so they could shed light and lustre around to dispel darkness prevailing in this world of ignorance, hate and strife”.

In 1947, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Women’s Training College, Revered Mehtaji Maharaj said, “The Women’s Training College has been started by the Managing Committee of REI to provide professional training to the young lady graduates… I trust that educated young ladies will set a correct example of womanhood in their homes and outside… India is now free and will require a host of dedicated workers in every field of activity, one of the important being the role of teachers…”.

I was born in the district of Banda where girls education was provided up to High school level in a Government school. In 1954, my parents shifted us (sisters and brother) to Dayalbagh, where the facilities for education were inclusive and wholesome, the environment was safe and high values and ideals were followed and inculcated.

When my sisters and I shifted to Dayalbagh, there was already special emphasis in Dayalbagh on education of the girl child, irrespective of class, creed, caste or status. The environment ensured that every girl child got wholesome education. Prem Vidyalaya and Women’s Training College played vital roles in providing a platform for empowering the girl. These institutions believed in holistic development of the girl child and this attracted students from nearby cities and states. The staff was highly qualified and motivated creating an atmosphere congenial for learning. Special scholarships were awarded to deserving students. Uniforms were supplied to ameliorate status differences. We enjoyed fresh pollution free air, working in the fields every morning in the serene and calm atmosphere of Dayalbagh.

Another interesting aspect was the focus on vocational education and this helped me, my sisters and other students to get suitable jobs, many of them going on to become top educationists.

Cultural programmes presented by the college were of high standard and we had the privilege of representing Agra University and participating in Youth Festival organized in Talkatora grounds in Delhi and being invited in a “at home” at President’s house and Teen Murti Bhavan.

Sports formed an integral part of Women's education with Volleyball, Kho-Kho and Kabaddi as the primary sports. There was also a National Cadet Corps (NCC) wing, with girls participating in Rifle Shooting and parades every Sunday.

For us when we completed our formal education at Dayalbagh and were ready for the world, our motto was, in the words of Revered Sir Anand Sarup, “…go from this arena to the wider arena of the world with heart within and God overhead, to meet the exigencies of life…”.

Th tradition of Women's Education in Dayalbagh continues...

References:

1. Many of the excerpts and data are from “Progress of Education in Dayalbagh – Basant 1915 – Basant 2005”

Supermen of Dayalbagh: A Glimpse into Their Unique World

This week our post is by Dr. Bani Dayal Dhir, Assistant Professor at the Department of English Studies, Dayalbagh Educational Institute. Recipient of the Institute’s prestigious Director’s medal throughout her studies, her primary research interests include Literature and Systems Theory and Consciousness studies, exploring the application of Generalized Physical Systems Theory Modelling, Interpretive Structural Modelling, Quantum Theory and Science of Consciousness in the study of literature.

This is a story of the 

“Superman Evolutionary Scheme” of Dayalbagh

and its first enlistment, Sant Su, the beautiful and angelic son of Dr. Bani Dayal Dhir and Software Professional turned Entrepreneur Arsh Dhir.

Dr. Bani writes…

Thou, whose exterior semblance doth belie,

Thy Soul's immensity; 

Thou best Philosopher, who yet dost keep 

Thy heritage, thou Eye among the blind, 

That, deaf and silent, read'st the eternal deep, 

Haunted for ever by the eternal mind,— 

Mighty Prophet! Seer blest! 

On whom those truths do rest, 

Which we are toiling all our lives to find, 

In darkness lost, the darkness of the grave; 

Thou, over whom thy Immortality 

Broods like the Day, a Master o'er a Slave, 

A Presence which is not to be put by; 

Thou little Child, yet glorious in the might 

Of heaven-born freedom on thy being's height.

William Wordsworth’s celebration of childhood innocence, glory, delight and might is impeccable. His visualization of the “little child glorious in the might” and “an eye among the blind” is no more a figment of his imagination because Dayalbagh has willed to evolve and craft the race of supermen in this age of super-intelligent machines. Apparelled in celestial light, in Dayalbagh, the Garden of the Merciful, under the “Superman Evolutionary Scheme of Satsang” the budding little Supermen in the age group of 3 months to 3 years “read the eternal deep” under the Guidance of the Adept. In common parlance, the scheme has become popular as “Sant Su scheme”.

Revered Sir Anand Sarup, the August Founder of Dayalbagh stated, “The childhood is the most impressionable period of life, cannot be denied. The impressions received during this period, imperceptibly enter into our nature and influence our ‘feeling’ and ‘willing’ in later life considerably.”

The concept of Superman has found a direct or an indirect mention in the philosophical texts since the time of Plato. Even as we move towards Indian civilization and explore the philosophical thought of Vedic culture or Upanishads, we may find references to Superman. But the ‘Superman of Satsang’, growing in the ambrosial environment of Dayalbagh is unique. Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi emphatically states, “Our concept of superman is a new one - unique, incomparable and unparalleled.”

For instance, Aristotle’s Superman or “magnanimous man”, despite possessing several good qualities, is not away from egotism. Aristotle’s Superman does not expose himself needlessly to danger, since there are few things for which he cares sufficiently. But he is willing, in great crisis, to give even his life, knowing that under certain conditions it is not worthwhile to live. Aristotle considers conferring kindness as a mark of superiority, but receiving as a mark of subordination. Explaining this as a deficiency in the character of Aristotle’s Superman, Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi elucidates, “One may not like to be shown mercy by anyone else but one should beg for mercy from the Lord Almighty. Accordingly, if one is free from egotism, one would not be shy to beg for the mercy of Radhasoami Dayal (The Supreme Being). Whatever our Superman may be, he would behave in an extremely humble manner.”

The term “Superman” has been significantly used by Friedrich Nietzsche, particularly in “Also sprach Zarathustra” (1883–85), although it had been employed by J.W. von Goethe and others. Nietzsche is not a system builder, but he aims at provoking thought. From his point of view man is in continuous movement towards actualization. The English playwright George Bernard Shaw propounded his theory of Superman in his famous play “Man and Superman”. Both Friedrich Nietzsche and George Bernard Shaw express somewhat similar belief about the genetic forces that drive mankind forward influenced by Charles Darwin’s “Natural Selections” including the theory of Survival of the Fittest. Shaw believes in “creative evolution” which can be made possible by deliberate breeding and careful nurture, than the hazards of natural selection.

Explaining how the concept of Superman in Dayalbagh differs from Nietzschean and Shavian concepts, Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi writes, “But in Satsang we believe that as far as the spirit entities are concerned, all of them came into existence at the beginning of the creation itself. They were allotted abodes in accordance with the initial load of their karmas in Brahmand and Pind. Those spirit forces that were retained in the “Nirmal Chetan Desh” became blissful forever. There was no evolution in spirit forces. If at all there was any evolution it was in the physical or mental bodies or covers that the spirit forces assumed. That evolution is continuing.”

Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi further defines the new Superman of Dayalbagh in the following words, “A complete man with balanced development of body, mind and spirit is called a Superman. He will not come into existence in a day; he will evolve gradually as the human body evolved gradually according to Darwinian principle. As is the case of the body, mind and spirit will also evolve gradually, and the spirit and mind will become so pure that a Superman will come into existence.”

It needs to be mentioned that along with the good qualities endorsed by all philosophers and thinkers, the New Superman of Dayalbagh will adopt new method of devotion and new polity of Satsang to achieve the Supreme goal of life. The Supermen of Dayalbagh will enjoy inner peace and harmony and strive continuously to spread the message of “Fatherhood of God” and “Brotherhood of Man”.

The budding little Supermen of Dayalbagh outshine even the adults with their 24x7 schedule. Away from the early morning slumber, lethargy, the innocent little supermen wake up even before we hear the cock’s shrill clarion. They leap up in the mother’s arms indicating in their lexicon that ‘their day has begun’. Experiencing Bliss in service in proximity to Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi, they march ahead with humility and devotion getting soaked in the Godly Grace showered on them. Neither the heat of summer; nor the chill of winter; nor the lashing rain can deter them. Whether it is early morning and evening prayer or working in fields or rendering security duties in the Dayalbagh colony in the scorching heat of May and June or participating in cultural activities or recitation of devotional lyrics, their smiling faces, twinkling eyes, loud musical shouts of joy, swaying hands leave even their parents speechless.

The New Supermen have been defined as Complete men, therefore these tiny tots, evolving as Supermen, are taught to pray regularly with devotion for the purification of the body, mind and spirit. Working in the fields in the early morning under loving watch of Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi, engenders the spirit of brotherhood of mankind, societal commitment, discipline, ability for hard work, selfless service to society, humility, co-operative spirit and dignity of labour. Participation in musical and other cultural activities humanizes them. As Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi states that such supermen do not come into existence in a day, rather they evolve gradually; stress is laid on consistent participation in activities to make them mentally agile, physically swift and spiritually blissful. 

In the last one year, my journey as the mother of a budding Superman has been amazing. My life has found a new meaning, relevance and purpose. As I recall the moments spent with my little son Sant Su, I feel even I am evolving every moment along with the evolving Superman, thus heading towards the Supreme goal of life. Can God’s bounty be clad in words?  I can only bow in humility before the Supreme Lord Almighty, My Saviour and my Gracious Father saying,

O Lord! Thou are my creator, my maker and my redeemer! 

And if I had but one prayer, 

That prayer would be  

O Lord keep me ever at Thy Lotus Feet.   

Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader

Revered Sir Anand Sarup, in his Convocation Address to the Graduates of Agra University in 1935, said, “For, is not education defined as the technique of transmitting, as completely as possible, to as many as possible, that technological, intellectual, moral and artistic heritage through which the race forms the growing individual and makes him human. Admittedly, all children are born helpless fools, and it is education that makes them behave like human beings, and it is education again that has placed mankind today on a plane higher than any generation had reached before.”¹

Books play an important role in this transmission and libraries are great institutions to foster this learning.

In the words of Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi, “If we try to maximize the information entropy of the knowledge base about the universe of discourse then we might be able to transform this knowledge base into a wisdom base.”²

Our post this week is on the Dayalbagh Children’s Library helping transform children into wise humans and leaders, and to quote Margaret Fuller,

“Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader”.

The post below is by Dr. Sarla Paul, Professor Emeritus in the Education Department of Dayalbagh Educational Institute and the Library in-charge of the Dayalbagh Children’s Library (बाल पुस्तकालय).

Over to Dr. Paul.
Anurag
----------------------------

Dr. Paul writes…

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”, says Richard Steele. The need of reading has also been explained by Mortimer Adler in his statement, “Reading is a basic tool in living of a good life.” There is no substitute for books in the life of a child.

Since the foundation of the Dayalbagh Community, an Ashram in 1915, it has been the aim to nurture the residents in an environment combining the best of the secular and spiritual worlds- a life of Better Worldliness – establishing Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man in this world of growing violence, moral degradation and discontentment. The grooming of young minds to be worthy leaders in various fields of Administration, Science, Art and Culture, Academics, Engineering, Business and Commerce and Social Science has been a priority. The path to attain this goal is through quality and value-based education supported by multifarious activities like extensive reading in Library, Games and Sports, Cultural and Creative Activities along with participation in Agricultural Activities to keep them deeply rooted to their rich agrarian Cultural and Spiritual Heritage.

A rich supplement to holistic education of young minds in the community is the provision of reading resources through the Children’s Library also known as “Bal Pustakalaya”, situated in the serene and vibrant environment of Prem Nagar, a Mohalla of Dayalbagh. The Bal Pustakalaya was set up as an independent unit in March 1994. Since then, it is offering its services to boys and girls studying in Classes 1 to 10 in Dayalbagh. The library has a rich collection of books (six and a half thousand) and magazines (9 regular subscriptions) in the areas of fiction, stories, recreational reading, science, biology, mythology, culture, philosophy, poetry, health and hygiene etc. with an objective to provide each child with opportunities to grow in the area of their interest and aptitude. Books and magazines are purchased every year through the financial assistance provided by the Radhasoami Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd. Dayalbagh, Agra.

The Library offers facilities of in-library reading and issuing of books. In addition to this, Summer Intensive programmes are organised to enrich students’ knowledge and awareness in various fields helping them prepare to lead a better life. Some of the themes covered under the Summer Programme are Structure and Functions of Human Brain, Higher Consciousness, Super and Artificial Intelligence, Chakra Energy, Biographies of great Scientists and eminent Personalities of the world, awareness regarding various values and their importance in life. These topics are presented in technology-based, interactive methods suited to the interests of children.

Initially, to develop interest in children, the Library conducted a programme of dramatised story telling in the tradition of ‘Nani Ki Kahani’ (Stories told by Grandma). To sharpen their intellectual, literary and creative skills, fun competitions like theme-based Drawing and Painting, Poetry Recitation, Elocution, Speech Contests have also been organised. Through continuous efforts of the Library, perceptible changes are visible in Children’s enthusiasm, attraction and abilities for enriched reading.

A comparative study of library going and non – library going students in the schools of Dayalbagh was conducted, with a significant impact being found in the level of consciousness in the library going children.

The activities of the Library culminate in the much-awaited Annual Bal Pustak Mela (Children’s Book Festival). The highlights of the Mela (Festival) include The Book Exchange Programme, showcasing of selected Books and New additions of books and magazines to the Library stock, Display of the glimpses of Summer Programme, a short but engaging Cultural Programme, and provision of snacks to give a feel of the Mela. It has been our good fortune that Bal Pustak Mela has been graced by the visits of Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi. In the year 2012, Revered Prof. Satsangi observed that Bal Pustak Mela has acquired the additional dimension of ‘Sanskriti Mela’ (Cultural Fair). Since then, its nomenclature has changed to ‘Bal Pustak and Sanskriti Mela’.

References:

1. Discourses on Education in Dayalbagh: A Vision of Complete Education, First Edition – page 59
2. Discourses on Education in Dayalbagh: A Vision of Complete Education, First Edition – page 205