Tanneries in Ranipet make transition to solar energy to reduce carbon footprint 

Solar-powered hot air heating system has replaced conventional firewood propelled system to dry processed leather at Overseas Leather company in SIPCOT in Ranipet on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: C. VENKATACHALAPATHY

From conventional firewood heating system, tanneries in the Ranipet-Ambur-Vaniyambadi region have been gradually inching towards clean energy technology especially solar power to run automatic sprayer driers, vital for drying the processed leather, in their factories to prevent pollution and save power bills. 

For the past few years, a group of 15-20 tannery units including Overseas Leathers, a manufacturer and exporter of finished leathers, in the SIPCOT Complex in Ranipet have been running their units especially dyeing process and finishing stage of leather products by using solar air heaters and solar hot water heaters.

Earlier, these tanneries were running their units especially its heating systems with firewood, resulting in huge costs and pollution. “Installation costs and space required for solar systems are challenges to adapt to clean energy technology by tanneries. However, in the long run, the benefits of clean energy are more stable,” said S. Gopalakrishnan, Engineering maintenance manager at Overseas Leathers. 

A Theni-based solar energy company, SunBest, provides technical support for these heaters. At the micro level, each drier at a leather unit consumes 20-25 units of electricity per hour. A tannery, on an average, runs at least three driers. In other words, around 600 units of power is consumed by the tannery every day.

Many tanneries also depend on firewood to run driers in their units. To run driers for eight-hours a day, around one tonne of firewood is required. It costs around ₹7,500. In a month, it will cost ₹2.25 lakh to buy firewood from local vendors to run driers in tanneries. “Except during monsoon, solar air heating panels can generate power to run driers. Government subsidy to tanneries, especially micro units, which find it challenging to afford solar powered driers, will help to promote clean energy technology to a wider audience,” says C.P. Rajkumar, CEO, SunBest. 

At present, the leather-making region covers Ranipet, Walajah, Vellore, Ambur and Vaniyambadi. More than 700 tanneries are located in the region, with Vaniyambadi alone accounting for around 40%. Most of the tanneries are coal or thermal energy-based factories, emitting greenhouse gases. Thermal energy accounts for around 55% of the total energy consumption for leather-making. A group of tanneries in Ranipet SIPCOT region are breaking barriers to promote clean energy technology and cut costs. 

Earlier in the day, Hans Raj Verma, Director General, Council of State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation of India (COSIDICI), and Ranipet Collector J.U. Chandrakala urged the leather manufacturers to go in for solar energy. They said Tamil Nadu has the highest radiation of solar energy that could be utilised for industrial growth. Clean energy champion awards for best practices in renewable energy and energy efficiency were also distributed on the occasion.