Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Wednesday, Dec 17, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Wednesday, Dec 17, 2003 |
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Corporate
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New Projects Industry & Economy - Non-conventional Energy Exide commissions solar-wind hybrid unit in Maharashtra Indrani Dutta
Kolkata , Dec. 16 EXIDE Industries Ltd, the storage power systems major, is commissioning its second wind-solar hybrid power unit at Aurangabad in Maharashtra taking a firm step forward in its increasing foray into the area of non-conventional energy. Company sources said that a 10 KW unit is being commissioned today for electrifying the zilla parishad office there. The Rs 24-lakh order was awarded by the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency. The unit, once commissioned would be the second such in the country, the first one being commissioned (also by Exide) in Sagar Islands of the Sundarbans. According to sources, the Karnataka Government too has shown interest in setting up a similar project. Sources said that the unit being commissioned in Maharashtra comprises a 6.4 KW wind capacity turbine and 3.6 KW solar panels. While the turbine rotor has been imported from SW Wind Power, USA, the turbine controls and storage systems have been manufactured by Exide. On the solar side, the panels have been made by a Hyderabad-based company while the inverter and the batteries as well as the cabling is from Exide. The aim of having such a hybrid system is to tap nature for generating electrical power while safeguarding for seasonal variations. While the strong rays of the sun would be harnessed for solar energy during summer for the monsoons the strong gusty winds are expected to fill in the gap with wind power. "While the solar energy is utilised for charging the battery the wind turbines provide energy during monsoon," sources said.Sources said this is EIL's second project in Maharashtra, the first being a 20-KW stand-alone solar power project for the Pune Energy Park. Within West Bengal, EIL has commissioned a 20 KW solar-wind hybrid project in six villages in Kamalpur and Natendrapur in the Sagar Islands, which is an off-grid area where there is no access to conventional power. This unit was commissioned by Exide in April this year, under an order received from the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency.EIL, which began its foray into renewable energy in 1996, is planning to increase its presence and is eyeing a turnover of about Rs 6 crore by next fiscal from this sector. Its present turnover is Rs 3 crore.While it has implemented solar standalone and grid interactive solar projects in West Bengal and elsewhere, it also implemented a solar stand alone set with special batteries at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute base camp in West Sikkim, 14,625 feet above sea level. The electric boats developed by it recently are proving to be a success with the various tourism agencies, sources said.
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