Zoho Sets Up Solar Energy Panel To Go Completely Green

With the aim to incorporate sustainable environmental practices, software as a service (SaaS) company Zoho has established a five-megawatt on-grid solar energy panel to fuel power in its offices and data centres.

The solar energy grid is set up in a partnership with Tamil Nadu’s electricity department and Rigel Energy Management. Besides powering the company’s own operations, the solar panel setup will also help in providing electricity to nearby areas. The grid is set up in Abinimangalam village, which is located near Trichy.

A Zoho spokesperson said that the grid will help the company to save around 7,2000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission per year. Around 14,400 trees are required to soak up that much amount of CO2, the spokesperson added.

“With our current power generation, we are able to meet the energy needs of our Chennai data centre and a good chunk of our main campus in Chennai too,” Raju Vegesna, chief evangelist, Zoho, was quoted as saying by ET.

Vegesna further added that the on-grid solar energy model is working well for the company and that’s why Zoho is also planning to set up similar projects at other locations as well.

Besides its data centre in Chennai, which was set up in 2018, Zoho has 10 data centres across the globe. These centres are mostly based in its key markets such as the US, China, Singapore, Japan, UAE, Netherlands, among others.

Recently, the company has bought around 375 acres of land for its new US headquarters, which will be based in Austin. Zoho also plans to set up solar panels near this under-construction site to propel the energy needs of the data centre.

Concerned from the issues of environmental problems, the startup ecosystem has started to shift its focus to climate issues. Earlier this year, Paytm’s founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, who was also named as the ‘Patron for Clean Air’ for UN Environment had established a fund called Massive Fund for environmental protection. The fund was launched in partnership with venture capitalist Shailesh Vickram Singh.

Japan-based research firm Leave A Nest, along with Indian venture capitalist firm Arc Ventures, also planned to set up a startup hub in India to tackle environmental issues like air and water pollution and solid waste management problems in India. The company has promised to invest an initial amount of INR 50 Cr on this project.