Saturday, April 7, 2012

Tapping Wind/solar power on OMR

A roof-top windmill fitted on Hindustan University campus

 Those of us in Mantri Synergy, and neighbouring Ouranya Bay, Victoria Towers or Bella Tuscany and other OMR communities don't need experts to say we come under 'a wind zone'. We experience it. We also know big wind turbines over 100 metres in height wouldn't work in our place. We could try micro wind turbines, say 15-metre tall, as they plan to do, for powering street lights on ECR. Chennai Corporation is reported to have commissioned a study for tapping wind/solar energy with hybrid models.

 Residents asociations on OMR could put their heads together to explore possibilities for putting in place hybrid micro systems for tapping wind/solar power. So that we could make wind/solar powered common area a reality at Mantri Synergy in two or three years from now.

 Experts reckon that effective solution to energy problem has to be found ,not in the availability of technology, but in reducing its expense and widening it accessibility. The proposed wind/solar powered street-lighting pilot project in Sholinganallur and some parts of ECR could serve as model for us to adopt in Mantri and other communities. Bringing down the cost is a challenge. Initial capital cost is high, but subsidy is available from the central and state govts. OMR residents association (an umbrella body of neighbourhood member associations of apartment owners) could be set up to look into subsidy options and also to work on a model project report for community level renewable energy programme.

 By way of reference material I would like you to watch these video talks: 1) Bunkar Roy on his 'barefoot movement' - 19.08 mins. It is a fascinating study on how a village school in Rajasthan has trained rural women to be solar electrical engineers for electrification of villages, not only in Rajasthan, but also in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and other developing countries from where even unlettered grandmas received technician training for six months in Bunkar Roy's barefoot college.
2) MIT professor Donald Sadoway on the missing link to renewable energy - 15 mins. video talk. He is into developing battery for grid-level storage of wind/solar energy, at the lowest possible cost. The focus of Prof.Sadoway's invention is in bringing down the cost of huge storage battery.

 The photo at the top of this post signifies 'a tip of the wind turbine', to coin a phrase, (like 'tip of an iceberg'), of the work that might well be in process at the university engineering workshop. We could tap their experience/expertise in developing a wind/solar power model for Mantri Synergy.

4 comments:

  1. I think I have seen these micro wind turbines in Hiranandani Upscale, Opp to SIPCOT, Siruseri.

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    1. Thank you (I wish I knew who) for the lead. Maybe someone from Hiranandani who reads this would want to weigh in with his/her take.

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  2. Mr Ravindran has posted the following info. in our Mantri Synergy residents website.
    http://www.mantrisynergyomr.com/
    In Mahindra world city, Maraimalai Nagar, they installed a 75 kw solar plant to produce 116000 kw in a year. This plant can supply power for another 25 yrs. A 1kv solar plant will cost Rs. 2 to 3 lacs. Ministry of New Renewable Energy[MNRE] has introduced a scheme to subsidize wind-solar hybrid power plants at Rs. 1.5 lacs per kw [Hindu 31/03/12]. If we install wind-solar plant we can get reliable power.

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  3. Sir, I have also seen the Hiranandani Navallur mini wind mills on the roof of the skyscrapers...and I believe they would be equal experts to Mantri (to see the feasibility and height of building), if not better...

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