Energy behind powerhouse lines

Article from Deccan Herald Newspaper Aug 21, Bangalore:


Hybrid boost
Energy behind powerhouse lines
Subhash Chandra N S, Aug 21, Bangalore:

This is a powerhouse, literally, and could even be the City’s envy. At a time when the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is struggling to provide uninterrupted electricity to consumers, a six-bedroom house at Visvesvaraya Layout here is running on hybrid power, round-the-clock.
When 24-hour power supply to Bangaloreans, an election promise of the BJP, remains a distant dream for the City’s inhabitants, H K Gowdaiah, who is vice-president of the Visvesvaraya Layout Residents’ and Site Owners’ Association, has worked out an ingenuous alternative to end the unending power woes. His house doesn’t suffer power cuts, thanks to the hybrid power of wind and solar energy.

A solar panel dealer, Gowdaiah has been using alternative renewable energy to power his six-bedroom house for the past five years. The wind fans atop the terrace generate up to 1.5 kw of energy, while the solar photovoltaic cells adjoining the wind fan generate 600 watts. “The power generated is sufficient to electrify my entire house with six bedrooms, a hall, a living room, passages and even store rooms. We use this power for heating applications, running the refrigerator and other home appliances and is sufficient to sustain a 20-member joint family like ours,” said Gowdaiah.

Gowdaiah’s initiative took wings five years ago, when the new layout was formed. The area was plagued by electric overhead cable and transformer oil thefts which led to artificial power cuts. The Bangalore Development Authority appointed security personnel who could not prevent power pilferage since they were hardly seen in the vicinity. “We could not even lodge a complaint as the system was maintained by BDA and was not handed over to Bescom,” he said.

Installed at a cost of Rs 5.25 lakh, the power generated by this hybrid mechanism is stored in four lead acid batteries of 120 watt amperes to meet the peak load power. The wind fans, which run at a speed of eight kms per hour, can power the house for a period of nine months, while the solar power is sufficient for heating applications and works wonders during summer. Equipped with CFL and other energy saving techniques, this house not only saves power but also saves Rs 600 in the form of Bescom bills.

DH News Service
The Bescom connection is used as an alternative and backup power.
DH News Service