Electricity problems? Some are installing miniature windmills

8216;8216;During the deluge, we had high wind speeds of over 60km/hr which ensured that the wind turbines were always charged and supplied energy round the clock. In fact, we have been using wind energy to generate power on a daily basis and rarely require to draw electricity from the grid,8217;8217; says he.

Though miniature windmills are still in their infancy in India, the concept is catching on as a viable method of generating power, finding application in both remote locales and urban areas.

The most popular are compact units ranging from one to five metres in diameter that generate 600 watts of power, which can operate over half-a-dozen lights for three to four hours. Bigger ones that generate between 1.5 KW to 4.5 KW of power are also finding tremendous application to light up villages that have no access to power.

8216;8216;Across the world, hybrid wind-cum-solar systems are preferred over pure wind systems, due to their relative cost economy. The cost per unit of energy works out to Rs 8, which is much higher than the cost of conventional energy. But the technology is still attractive as it has no recurring cost and can be used to produce electricity at the same cost for the next 15 to 20 years,8217;8217; says an official at the Maharashtra Energy Development Association MEDA.

While only 800 KW of power is being generated in India through wind energy presently, agencies like MEDA are now enthusiastically promoting these systems. 8216;8216;We have already installed a number of such hybrid systems at community places like hospitals, temples and trusts and have plans to introduce it on a much wider scale at Gram Panchayats, initially in Kolhapur and Pune districts,8217;8217; said the MEDA official.

MEDA, the central nodal agency, has fulfilled 80 of the central government8217;s target of installing 150 KW of wind power this year.

While a recent study conducted by UK-based firm Garrad Hassan predicts a five-fold increase in the global small wind turbine market to 750 million, the Indian market is poised to grow to about Rs 500 crore within the next decade, feel experts like P Ravindranath, one of the pioneers in manufacturing miniature windmill systems in India.

His company, Unitron Energy Systems has been responsible for 50 of the 100-odd installations in India and has recently commissioned large-scale mini-windmill projects in Belgium and Thailand. 8216;8216;I believe India has the power to capture 10 share of an expected three million worldwide users. But this can only happen through better financing mechanisms and change in mindset of the people,8217;8217; he says.

Currently, the government doles out a 50 subsidy for private wind system installations and 75 subsidy for those installed in public locations. Every KW of wind energy systems costs Rs 80,000 before subsidies. Installation costs are extra. To make windmills more viable commercially, Ravindranath feels they should gradually be brought out of the ambit of subsidies.

8216;8216;As we manufacture indigenously, the cost is bound to fall once volumes pick up. And rather than giving subsidies, interest free loans and continuing with the 80 depreciation on windmills would go a longer way in giving a fillip to such schemes,8217;8217; he feels.