Best Green IT Project : State Bank of India : Green IT@SBI

We all know about the power situation in India. But inside of an ATM is

ironically completely different. It is often over- lit with conventional lights

plus have high-capacity ACs running 24X7, making it extremely uncomfortable to

bear. In places where power supply is not constant these ATMs are run on

generators adding to pollution. It has been proven that ATMs, just like any IT

equipment, need a dust free environment running at optimal room temperature. So,

there is an immediate need to redesign ATM infrastructure in India given the bad

power situation in country.

However, this is easier said than done, as in this competitive age, customer

convenience can't be ignored. To cover both aspects, this project has been taken

up by the Bank as part of its policy to promote green policy initiatives. Apart

from savings of recurring costs to the bank, the project helps in reducing the

carbon footprints impacting the quality of life of the cardholders and society

at large. Further it supports the cause of the central bank's objective of

spreading retail electronic payment culture and reduced dependence on paper

based transactions in the country, through rapid expansion of ATMs and debit

cards. State Bank of India undertook a massive rollout of ATMs during the

financial year 2009-10. With more than 10,000 ATMs installed, SBI was conscious

about the carbon footprint due to such a huge rollout. In all of these ATMs, LCD

monitors were deployed in lieu of CRTs. LEDs were used instead of tube lights or

CFL (even in signages), 5 star EER 3.1 rated ACs were installed instead of

conventional high energy consuming ACs. Aluminum composite panels were put to

use instead of wood based materials in the preparation of sites. Apart from

these modifications, specially designed ATMs were developed and installed that

consumed low energy and require no air conditioning environment. Even solar

powered ATMs were developed for rural areas. A few of the modifications made to

the ATMs include usage of single thermal printers instead of two and the manner

in which the cash tray was placed.

The key challenges faced in deployment of these energy efficient ATMs include

ensuring compliance with regard to the agreed contractual terms not only with

the main vendors but also the outsourced agencies. The large number of

deployment of ATMs spread over a wide area in a tight schedule necessitates fine

vendor management skills. In fact the SBI IT team had to work closely with

vendors who till that point of time were involved in setting up conventional

ATMs. Appropriate measures were required to safeguard against fire hazards in

extensive use of composite aluminum materials.

The total energy savings per annum on account of these initiatives will be

around 48508500 KWH. Now if we assume conservatively an average rate of Rs 5 per

unit (for commercial use the rate varies from Rs 5 to Rs 8 in various States),

the total energy savings per annum will be of about Rs 24.25 crores.

By using LCDs in lieu of CRTs, LED lighting instead of CFLs, and energy efficient ACs, SBI has dramatically reduced the energy consumption across its 10,000 ATMs.