Spotlight

New Delhi, 28 May 2007

RAJASTHAN WINDS TO BLOW OVER DELHI

NEW DELHI, May 29 (INFA): With the Union Capital facing a severe power crunch, the Government of Delhi is seriously looking at Rajasthan, a State that is currently using considerable amount of wind power, for meetings its energy needs.

Senior officials in the Power Department of Delhi said that the Government is considering setting up wind turbines in Rajasthan to generate an additional 200 MW to add to Delhi’s current 3000 MW supply. 

Delhi’s own generation of power is limited to approximately 1200 MW, despite the rapidly growing demand.

The Delhi Government is currently working out the possibility of how wind energy can be transmitted to the Capital. It is also looking at a number of private companies to the job. Suzlon Energy Limited has already made its presentation to the Chief Minister.

There are around eight companies across the country which generate wind energy in Rajasthan and other States.  Once implemented, Delhi will be the first State to use wind power for general consumptions i.e. use by industries, households, commercial units and offices.

Wind power conjures up images of large turbines set up on huge tracts of land. However, scientists from the University of Texas Arlington have come with designs that could make small-scale windmills feasible. To convert wind energy into electric energy, they use a piezoelectric structure which requires a very small magnitude of deflection to generate high voltages.

The structure consists of bimorphs (thin plastic sheets) aligned in a row, which is made to vibrate via a lever and crankshaft attached to the wind vanes. Since the structure is made entirely of plastic, it is cost-effective.

The scientists’ most promising design involves three five inches fans mounted on a single shaft through an adjustable gear ratio.  At an average wind speed of 10 mph, the windmill can generate 5 MW of continuous power at the rate of 12 volts.

This can power sensors, switches, alarms, and wirelessly transmitted data.

Further, the generated power can be stored in a super-capacitor for delayed use, and it works at wind speeds as low as 5.4 mph.

According to the scientists, small-scale windmills can supply energy for powering weather stations, lighting inside tunnels, etc. ---INFA