Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Indian Govt. Targets 20000 MW Solar Power Generation by 2022

It was just about a couple of months ago that the Indian Government was changed and the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi came up with the idea of making use of Solar power to solve all the power related problems in the country. The Government of India is working in full fledge as it carries on with the project called the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission or simply the National Solar Mission that focuses on making India the leader in Solar Power Generation.

The target set by the government is that they will produce about 20000 MW of solar power by the year 2022. The project is said to be in its second phase now. A few years back, when it was first introduced, it was targeted that the government would produce about 1000 MW in the first phase i.e. 2010-2013. In the second phase i.e. 2013-2017, it is planned that about 10000 MW of Solar power will be produced by the end of 2017. And in the last phase, i.e. by the end of 2022, the government has targeted a production of 20000 MW of Solar power that will be evenly distributed in areas where there is less electricity.

The Government has already begun its work of inviting companies to bid for this majestic project that is one of India’s largest solar Power capacities. It is already observed that the northern region of the country already faces low power supply. Thus, the introduction of this project promises brighter days for all the rural and the urban areas in the country.

With the increase in the amount of solar power generation, the considerable cost that one would have to pay for the power will also decrease. It is already found that the price of solar power that was Rs. 17 per unit has come down to Rs. 8 or Rs. 10 per unit and is expected to decrease further up to Rs. 4 per unit. Thus, with the promise of spreading solar power to light up rural as well as urban areas, the government of India has also tried its best to reduce the cost of power.

RB Electronics, a company that manufactures Electronic devices in Pune has also begun contributing to this cause by manufacturing high quality solar lights that can be used at home offices and in public places. Keeping in mind the Government’s idea of maintaining the affordability, this company is busy making lights that will be available at never before rates without compromising on the quality.

About RB Electronics
RB Electronics was established in the year of 1989. We manufacture Engine Safety Units, Genset Display Units, Automatic Mains Failure Panels and other Customized Automation Solutions for Engines, Generators and other related activities.
For more information on this press release visit: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/indian-govt-targets-20000-mw-solar-power-generation-by-2022-532786.htm



Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2081190#ixzz38wngnlbI

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Get ready for a perfect boat ride

Solar powered boat

Design firm YUGA has come up with an eco-friendly solar-powered boat that can take a family of five on an idyllic water cruise

“Picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies,” sang the Beatles. That was imagination, but this is not. Why motor down a river with a constant droning through otherwise calm air and lose the moment? For YUGA Design, the recipe for an idyllic boat ride had to include the gentle sound of water lapping and a 360-degree view of the waters. Inspired by the Brahminy Kite in russet red and white, the designers visualised a slow moving tourist boat for calm backwaters and lakes — all habitats to sensitive marine ecosystems. The boat runs on energy from the solar panels up to eight hours. Says Gautam of YUGA Design, “Our boat travels at about 5 knots, which is about 9 km/hr. A family of five can have a quiet breakfast or lunch on the boat, travelling and enjoying the beautiful water.”
What drives YUGA
Industrial designers Gautam Madhavan Nair and Jagan Ganapathy started YUGA design in 2009 for design and prototyping. Architect Vinodhini and textile designer, Saravanan joined the duo. Their design firm has focussed on enhancing user experience, designing functional products with better commercial value. In this, they have tasted success several times over five years. They redesigned a product for a client from the medical equipment manufacturing segment; within eight months of launch, their sales went up by 200 per cent. YUGA was part of the R & D team for the “smart cane,” a device used as way finder for the visually challenged user, developed by Dr. Rohan Paul, a young innovator from IIT-Delhi.
Boat: Solar electric-powered slow-moving catamaran 
Capacity: 4 adults + 1 child + 1 driver
Travel time: 8-9 hours
Speed: 4 knots
Tested successfully by overloading with 12 people
Building a boat
Earlier, while at NID, Gautam and Jagan interned at a boatyard in Kerala, studying wooden boat construction. They also worked in Tamil Nadu with people who build fibreglass boats for the fishing community. It was while designing an electric waterbus that they got inspired. “We found a gap in the tourism industry that showed us a need for an eco-sensitive water transport system in India.”
With the guidance of Mahesh Krovvidi of NDBI, the design incubation cell at NID, they made a proposal for a small solar electric hybrid catamaran that could be used for water tourism to the Technopreneur Promotion Program at DSIR, Government of India. They were selected and IIT's ocean engineering department became technical consultants for their project.
Gautam infers: “Our catamaran is a light-weight fibreglass boat with two hulls. Because it uses solar-powered batteries, it hardly makes any noise!”
Why twin hulls?
“They are sleeker and lighter and hence, create less drag than that of a single or mono hull vessel. It makes for an energy-efficient and stable boat.” There is a spacious deck with seating for five. As Gautam remarks, “It is as simple as the difference between a two- and a four-wheeler.”
What was specifically challenging about the boat design?
“We had to make sure that the boat not only looked attractive but also had to function extremely well. Supporting the solar canopy with just two pillars cantilevered so as to give the traveller an unrestricted view was crucial and designing this was a big challenge. For this, Dr. Anantha Subramanian of IIT-Madras and designer M. P. Manohar, guided us to make the boat functionally stable. We made several model iterations before freezing the design. It was a pure form and function exercise that worked out wonderfully with their inputs.”
The boat, funded by DSIR and YUGA Design, was successfully launched at Muttukadu lake recently. This is an exciting time for the designers. Their design is just patented and already queries are steadily coming in.
What makes their boat special?
“The main reason to go for a boat like ours would be for its return on investment. This boat has an almost nil operating cost due to the solar electric hybrid technology. Second, it does not create pollution of any kind, be it noise or carbon, so maintenance is negligible. It is priced slightly higher than the average motor boat of the same size. But in the long run, it will be profitable in comparison.”
http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/get-ready-for-a-perfect-boat-ride/article6241942.ece

102 MW capacity in solar power plants in TN

 Government has installed a capacity of 102 MW of solar power plants under various schemes across the state and proposed to add another 708 MW, the Assembly was informed today.

Electricity Minister Natham R Viswanathan said as a first step to implement effectively the Solar Power Policy, announced by Chief Minister J , roof-top Solar Power Plant of 60 KW has been installed at the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd (TANGEDCO) head-office.

He also said TANGEDCO has already issued letters of intent to establish solar power plants of 708 MW capacity to 52 developers and approval of rate and power purchase agreements from Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) was being awaited.

Since some consumer association has filed a petition with Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) against the Solar Purchase Obligation (SPO) fixed by TNERC, APTEL has set aside the TNERC order fixing Solar Purchase Obligation.

"TANGEDCO has filed an appeal petition in the Supreme Court against the APTEL order," the Minister said.