BANGALORE: As you enter the Indira Gandhi Memorial Fountain premises on Chowdiah Road, you realise there is an additional feature to attract visitors there — a solar energy park. It is an initiative of Karnataka Renewable Energy Development to increase awareness among the public, especially the children, on domestic and commercial uses of solar energy.
The project was inaugurated on Children’s Day, November 14, by the Minister of energy, Shobha Karandlaje. The park features models which use an interesting combination of solar and kinetic energy. For example, there is a solar hut on the park premises that shows how to use solar energy to run household appliances.
The solar hut is constructed using ‘Building Integrated Photo voltaic’ module. The advantage of using this panel is the cosmetic feature that uses glass panels to allow the flow of natural sunlight into the hut apart from generating power to charge the battery. The total installed capacity of solar power plant on the roof of the hut is 21,800 watts, which charges a battery bank. The battery is designed to function in ambient temperature variation from -15 degree celsius to +45 degree celsius.
The hut comes equipped with a television, a weighing machine, a computer and a refrigerator — all powered by solar energy. Apart from the hut, the park also features a solar car, a Reva battery-operated car, and a bus. The project does not restrict itself to catering to a urban audience and addresses energy issues faced by farmers. There is a solar PV pump designed to guarantee farmers high output and low energy consumption.
The swimming pool on premises boasts of a heating system again powered by solar energy. The water in the solar collector is heated and circulated with the help of a pump to be transferred to the pool.
There is also a solar PV-wind hybrid system, which generates electricity to pull the water from the borewell. The wind generator starts generating power when the wind speed begins exceeding the cut-in speed of the turbine.
But a major attraction is to see kinetic energy, generated by users, converted into electricity. An energy-generation drum and walking inside a wheel to generate energy are such exhibits. Project engineer Dinesh Kumar said, “The solar park aims at creating awareness among the people and especially children on issues of renewable energy.” Also on display is a computer-based energy quiz, which is interesting and interactive. The visitors can answer by inserting Rs 5.
The project will see further addition in the coming months. “The next phase of the project includes addition of some games and we will replace the television sets with LCDs soon,” said Dinesh Kumar.
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