Category What, When, Why?

Which is India’s first solar powered city?

Diu is now India’s first and only city that is completely solar powered and the first Smart City in India to run on 100% renewable energy. A 9-megawatt solar park has been built in Fudam area, spread over 50 acres, and solar panels have been installed on the rooftops of government buildings. Diu’s peak time demand for electricity goes up to 7 megawatts and it generates about 10.5 megawatts of electricity from solar energy daily.

Diu is all set to have four windmills by 2019 which would generate 6.8 megawatts energy. With a combination of solar and wind energy powering it, Diu will become an energy self-sufficient island.

Solar installed capacity in India has reached 20 GW in February 2018, expanding the solar-generation capacity by eight times from 2,650 MW on 26 May 2014 to over 20 GW as on January 31, 2018.

Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala are some of the states with solar cell panel rooftops.

In order to conserve energy and curb itself from heavy electricity export bills, most populated countries like China and India are planning to use solar panel rooftops.

China leads the race in solar energy, followed by Japan, Germany, United States, Italy, United Kingdom, India, France, Australia, Spain, respectively, among many others.

Credit : India Today 

Picture Credit : Google 

What is galvanized wire?

Steel articles rust on exposure to air. They can be given a coat of paint to prevent rusting. But paints may not last long. Galvanizing is a process in which articles made of steel or iron are dipped in molten zinc. On removal. a thin coating of zinc, which is non-rusting, remains stuck to the article.

Tin coat

Tin is a costly metal many times costlier than steel. So-called ‘tin’ cans are, in reality made of steel and given a very thin coating of tin by dipping them in molten tin.

Picture Credit : Google

Why is it difficult to cook rice or dal when you’re in a place that is at a higher altitude?

The lower the atmospheric pressure, the lower the boiling point of water. At the top of Mount Everest where the atmospheric pressure is less than one-third of what it is at sea level, water boils at around 70 degrees Celsius, whereas in a place like Mumbai, water boils at 100 degrees C

Rice and dal require this higher temperature to get cooked. So though the water may boil at the top of Everest, it will not be hot enough for the rice or dal to cook in it.

The problem can be overcome by using a pressure cooker. In a pressure cooker, due to the high pressure created inside it, water boils at much higher temperatures than normal and so food gets cooked faster.

Picture Credit : Google