Windmills may whirl soon at select sites along the coastal belt of Kerala, including Kochi, to generate power.
Experts
from Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT)
will tour the coastal areas of Kerala next week for assessing the
possibility of establishing the windmills.
The agency
proposes to carryout feasibility studies for establishing six wind
monitoring stations along the coastal belt of the State, including
Cherai in Kochi, Kole Wetlands in Thrissur and MES College ground at
Ponnani in Malappuram district, for evaluating the power production
potential of these sites. Wind potential of the area would be evaluated
for one year for selecting suitable sites, said C.K. Chandrabose, Joint
Technical Director, Wind Energy Project of Anert.
The
monitoring stations will collect data on wind velocity and direction
for one year. The mast of the stations will be put up at a height of 80
metre. The wind data generated for terrains of same height will be
applicable to an extent of 10 sq km in radius. A monitoring station
would require at least 2 acres. The stay wires for holding the mast of
the station requires considerable land. However, the wind farms would
require hardly 20 cents, he said.
Some micro surveys
will also be carried out in the selected sites. The sites which have the
wind density to generate at least 200 watts per square metre will be
selected. The windmills could be commissioned within six months, he
said.
The wind farms will have the status of
Independent Power Producers, which can sell power to the Kerala State
Electricity Board at the rate fixed by the Kerala State Electricity
Regulatory Commission. Captive Power Production will also be permitted
using windmills for personal consumption. Industrial houses can draw
power for their units from their own wind farms established at any part
of the State under the facility. The ANERT also proposes to carry out
feasibility studies for those interested in setting up the units.
Wind
monitoring studies are progressing at Kanjikode in Palakkad,
Vandiperiyar and Kalathumedu in Idukki, Pulikkanam in Kottayam and at
the Malappuram campus of the Aligarh Muslim University.
Earlier
studies held in 17 sites in hill ranges of Kerala had revealed that the
farms could jointly produce 800 MW power. Technical clearances have
been issued to 11 units of 2 MW each in Kanjokode Industrial belt in
Palakkad. The construction of foundation for the units has started
there.
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