In a landmark initiative to promote sustainable healthcare, the Rotary Club of Bombay Pier, RID 3141, has supported the installation of a mega-sized solar concentrator at Muni Seva Ashram, which houses the Kailash Cancer Hospital in Goraj village near Vadodara, Gujarat.
This project was made possible in December 2025 through a CSR India Grant of ₹1.6 crore from Apar Industries. Club secretary Murtuza Sitarwala says this installation represents one of the most advanced applications of renewable energy in the healthcare sector in India.
The device consists of a massive solar dish capable of powering a 600-tonne air-conditioning unit at the hospital. Rising to the height of a seven-storey building and spanning 25 metres in diameter, the parabolic solar concentrator is embedded with hundreds of precision mirrors. These mirrors focus sunlight onto a single focal point, generating extremely high temperatures of around 1,070°C using only solar energy.
The device consists of a massive solar dish capable of powering a 600-tonne air-conditioning unit at the hospital.
Water passing through a receiver at this focal point is converted into high-pressure steam. This steam is then used to operate a vapour absorption refrigeration system, enabling large-scale solar-powered air conditioning. The solar dish is also equipped with smart software that continuously tracks the sun’s movement, ensuring maximum efficiency throughout the day.
Originally developed in Australia by the Australia National University and Sunrise CSP, an Australia-based company, the concentrator was now built in India following an initiative by Ashram board member Deepak Gadhia.
When representatives from Australia visited Dholera, a greenfield industrial smart city 100km from Ahmedabad, for a proposed desalination plant, they expressed interest to bring the solar concentrator technology to India. A subsidiary was subsequently established in India and the first solar dish was installed at the Ashram three years ago, explains Sitarwala. The steam generated from this earlier installation continues to be used for cooking, laundry and other daily operations.
The two environment-friendly facilities will significantly reduce dependence on conventional power sources and help lower carbon emissions, he says.
The hospital authorities have promised that the significant cost saved in electricity from the use of the green devices will be passed on to introduce better patient care facilities at the hospital.