WIND AND SOLAR TOGETHER IN INDIA

The capacities of the cutting-edge wind solar hybrid energy systems just being put to work in remote areas of India seem trivial to westerners who think in megawatts and gigawatts but watts and kilowatts can change lives in off-grid, developing places like these villages.

Did the rural people of Chakli village and the surrounding region of Morni take notice?

Sumita Mishra, Director, HAREDA: “...After the success of the project, a large number of panchayats of the area approached us for the installation of the system at their areas also…"

The just-released and widely praised 2008 Global Solar Report Card from Global Green USA pointed out the special value that PV brings to the just-emerging part of the world's population: “…[S]olar is a source of power which is not only clean but versatile; it can serve power providers’ grids as well as 2 billion people, most of whom live in rural areas not connected to the grid and rely on expensive, dirty sources of energy.”

India has gone Global Green one better by adding a small wind turbine to the off-grid system. In many regions, solar and wind are perfectly complimentary because the wind starts blowing as the heat of the day recedes.

It is an understandable but sad fact that terrorist attacks get worldwide headlines while things that make a lasting difference in peoples' lives and will change the future of the world go unnoticed everywhere -- except at NewEnergyNews.

A wind solar hybrid system from Supernova Technologies. From minalprit via YouTube.

More villages to adopt wind solar hybrid system
Nainu Rohtaki, November 29, 2008 (Indian Express)
and
HRED to tame Morni winds to generate electricity
Nainu Rohtaki, December 3, 2007 (Indian Express)

WHO
Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) (Sumita Mishra, Director); panchayats

WHAT
The success of the Wind Solar Hybrid System, a combination solar energy-wind energy installation, has local leaders calling for more.

click for more info.

WHEN
Construction on the system began in early 2008 and it went into service mid-year.

WHERE
- The pilot project is installed at Chakli village at Morni.
- Plans to put similar projects in the Aravalli belt of Haryana.
- The Aravalli and Morni hills are among the few locations suited for the development of wind in the Haryana region.

WHY
- A panchayat is a local, or village level, political leader.
- The project cost was Rs 30 lakh.
- The “aero generator” (small wind turbine) has a 6.6 kilowatt capacity.
- The solar installation has a 3.4 kilowatt (peak) capacity.
- Overall system potential is 10 kilowatts.
- The electricity generated was described as making 40 CFL bulbs, 20 fans and 6 street lights available for the village.
- ~75% of the project cost is subsidized by the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
- The balance of the cost will come from Anand Solar Technology of Gurgaon, the installer.
- Capacities of future systems will vary in the different panchayats.
- Monitoring stations are now making feasibility assessments in other areas of the Aravalli belt near Gurgaon, Mahendergarh and Rewari.

click for more info.

QUOTES
- Sumita Mishra, Director, HAREDA: “The entire aim behind the project was the utilisation of wind capacity at the Morni hills for the production of electricity. The department set up a pilot project of aero-generators at Morni...Though there are several separate systems such as solar and diesel, for the production of electricity, wind solar hybrid was installed on experimental basis. The system requires a specific velocity of wind for working and Aravallis and Morni hills are the only places where that amount of wind is available…”
- Mishra, Director, HAREDA: “The 10-kilowatt aero-generator was installed near Chakli village that provided electricity to Chakli and Ramsar. Out of this 10 KW, around 6.6 KW of electricity is produced from the wind energy, 3.4 KW is generated by the solar energy...”