Chennai Corporation in pursuit to use sources of alternative energy to light up the streets of city, especially roads along the coasts, has taken an initiative to install 15 meter towers with four solar panels below and micro wind turbines above to complete huge palm tree shaped lights creating a regular pattern geometrically next to the East Coast Road.
A study was commissioned by the civic body to find out the finest hybrid models with solar and wind energy in order to get better street lighting in the added areas. According to the officials associated with the study, it is a good wind zone but big wind turbines above 100 meters height can’t be installed here. In fact, by installing micro wind turbines, 36 lakhs per unit can be saved by reducing energy consumption by 25 percent in the coming year. A tower with hybrid power generating systems will be connected to the streetlight’s group and in the 426 sq km of the city, primarily coastal areas. These additional street lights will fill the odd empty space between the rows of 2.2 lakh streetlights.
A massive program to replace about 60,000 streetlights has already been proposed by the corporation. Along with 25,000 solar powered streetlights the new hybrid facilities is just an addition proposed in eight new zones. These new solar and wind hybrid systems are solution to the challenges related with the traditional illumination systems earlier adopted by many Panchayats.
Via: Thehindu
