7 Wonders of the World: Awaiting inauguration, Delhi’s latest tourist attraction comprising the replicas of seven iconic edifices from across the world will have a first for the capital: It will be lit up solely through renewable energy. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to harness wind and solar power to meet the power demand of the Wonders of the World Park near Sarai Kale Khan bus terminal in south-east Delhi.

The park, which will have replicas of the Taj Mahal, Great Pyramid of Giza, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Christ the Redeemer statue of Rio de Janeiro, Rome’s Colosseum and the Statue of Liberty, will be opened to the public in the second week of February.

The clones at the park have been fabricated with scrap automobile parts. “We have already given them a finished look and installed old sodium lights to highlight their features,” said Alok Kumar, director, horticulture department, SDMC. “Now work on landscaping and laying the pathways is in progress. Once these tasks are done, we will focus on installing beautiful lights all over the park.”

SDMC has installed three solar trees at the park, each with a capacity to generate up to six kilowatts of power. There are plans to also install a wind turbine. The solar trees have sensors to track the sun on its normal east-to-west trajectory and improve energy output by up to 40% over a traditional fixed-tilt solar power system. “We have also installed solar panels on the roof of the washroom constructed out of an old shipping container,” said SDMC commissioner Puneet Goel.

An SDMC official said that since the power consumption at the park would be less than the production, the extra 10-12 kilowatt would be fed into the grid. The civic body will get credit for this power in its power use through net-metering.
The solar trees also have a provision for a mist cooling technique that will allow water to pass through the micron-sized misting nozzles. “These tiny water droplets will be evaporated by absorbing the heat present in their environment, thereby cooling the surrounding and minimizing pollution,” explained the SDMC commissioner.
The replicas will have boards providing information about the original as also details of the scrap utilized in creating them — such as the use of old iron benches for the Christ the Redeemer statue and bicycle spare parts for the four minarets of the Taj Mahal. The height of the replicas is between 25 and 30 feet, except for the Eiffel Tower, which soars 70 feet into the air. The civic agency has also provided a selfie spot where people can click the photographs of themselves with these structures.
The idea to develop such a park was borrowed from a similar park in Kota, Rajasthan. The total cost of the project was Rs 7.5 crore. A small entry fee will be charged from visitors and the collection used for the regular upkeep of the place. “For the convenience of visitors, we will also develop eateries, a parking facility and a playing area for children,” said the SDMC official.

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