ZWM: [GreenPower™] Rural portable Generator

by mynk on Oct 27, 2010 Category: Energy Tags:

This product is designed to create localized electricity in villages in most simple & sustainable manner. It uses abundantly available local & natural Bio resources to create decentralized usable electricity in optimum quantity for the situation.

This energy can be utilized for

Home lighting (CFL)
Water lifting and pumping
Battery charging for TV, Fan, Computer & Internet centre,
To bring in Telemedicine facilities
Multimedia Education

Empowering tiny Agro processing industries
Replacing Kerosene usage in villages
Entertainment & income generation
Empowering Villages

This technology has potential to trigger a Green Revolution of energy kind. It can catapult India towards energy self reliance. Up to 30000 MW of decentralized power can be created in villages through this device alone which is almost 25% of the available usable total power in India as on date.

After extensive research of more than 18 years, in developing foolproof adaptation methodologies & field trials, now various models of “MK Series” Rural generators are being launched in India by Green Energy Solutions, a Bangalore (India) based start up venture.

Interested individuals, social entrepreneurs, NGOs & various rural development agencies can reach us for further details.

All information & important development announcements related to this product & technology shall be updated on website regularly

The Technology (In nut shell):

This innovation is a sustainable, green & an appropriate technology product. Draught animals used for Sugarcane juice & edible oil extraction by crushing is a traditional rural technology available with mankind since wheel was invented, for thousands of years. Approximately 100 years back, after industrial revolution, it was left to die its own natural death. This technology has been picked up from there, upgraded & blended in tune with 21st century’s grade materials, technologies & needs. Result is GreenPowerRural Generator.

In brief ,work animal(s) are made to work at natural speed, in a circular path, tied to an appropriate lever rod. Distance from centre is such that animals can move in comfort.


Concept Picture Click to Enlarge

In process, a mighty torque is fed into a primemover & electricity gushes out from the output end through the attached generator. This is used on-line or off-line (through battery storage).

With one pair of healthy bullocks, power is sufficient for lighting 40-50 CFL of 20 Watts each or for charging rechargeable lanterns & batteries for off-line applications like TV, Computer, telemedicine etc.

The Resource:

India has the largest population of draught animals in the world (Approx. 88 Million).This localized resource is exhaustible and available resource with farmers, yet to be optimized properly.

Animal data (In terms of present Contribution to National Economy):

Contributes approx 50 % of all the power consumed in farming sector in India so approx annual saving of diesel is 23.75 MT equivalent to INR 21500 crore .
Gives traction power to 50 million ploughs in villages.
Gives employment to 20 million people on full time/part time basis in Bullock cart business.
Transports approx.15% of the total of the load (Tonnes-km)carried by motor transport sector in India.
In load terms, bullock carts carry more load than the total load transported by railways.
Provides approx 100 million tons of dry dung per year which is equivqlent to INR 5000 crore /year.
Saves 5 million tons of firewood per year which is equivalent to INR 500 crore per year.
Provides by products like skin, bone,horn etc worth INR 100 crore/year.
Present market value of draught animals @ average 10,000 per pair is INR 30000 crore.
Gives dung for Bio gas, cakes & Bio-fertilizers.
Back bone of Rural economy & an asset in bio-diversity terms.

Animal data in Power Terms:

Type of work- animals (Standard)	Capacity of traction in power terms (HP)	Total power unlocked with 88 Million Draught Animals
Camel	1.50	A. Avg. Power capacity per Animal = 0.5 HP B. Total Power available to be harnessed= 88 Mn.X 0.5 hp = 44 million HP = 30,000 MW
Horse	1.00
Bullock & Buffalo	0.75
Mule	0.70
Donkey	0.40

*Capacity of Animals vary according to breed & Health

Source: Mc Dowell R.E(1975)- Report of NDRI,UNDP/UNESCO/ICAR Project/CARTMAN.

Across the world, In fifty developing countries, which contain half of the total human population of the world, there is a heavy dependence on draught animals as an energy source. These animals are used for agriculture operations in 52% of cultivated areas of the world, as well as for hauling 25 million carts. This situation is likely to continue for at least another fifty years. The work performed annually by these draught animalswould require 20 million tons of petroleum, valued at US$6 billion, if it were performed by motorized vehicles. The application of improved technology and better management (i.e. through better feed and health services, and improved design of animal driven implements and carts) would generate sufficient benefits for the economy to justify the required investment. High priority should therefore be given to draught animal power in the economic development agenda.

Frequently Asked Questions

DRAUGHT ANIMAL DRIVEN
“GREENPOWER” RURAL GENERATORS

Q-1. What are the applications where the electricity from this GreenPower Generator can be used in rural situations ?

Ans: This energy can be utilized for

Home lighting (LEDs & CFLs)
Water lifting (overhead tank) and pumping
Battery charging for TV, computer & Internet centre,
To bring in Telemedicine
Multimedia Education
Tiny Agro processing industries
Replacing Kerosene usage in villages
Entertainment & income generation

Q-2. How many Bullocks / other such work-animals required to drive the Generator?

Ans: The minimum model runs with one pair of healthy bullocks or other such animals (like Buffaloes, Horses, Mules, Donkeys, Camels).Specially designed, bigger Community Generators can use any no of draught animals depending on capacity & design of generators.

Q-3. How much electricity can be produced by using one pair of animal ?

Ans: The smallest system generates approx.1.2 KW -1.5 KW of electricity per hours up to 5-6 hours continuously which is sufficient to light 40-50 CFLs of 20 W each, at a time. It can run TV through battery, fans, lift water through pump, charge rechargeable lanterns & mobiles etc .

Q-4. How many hours continuous electricity can be produced by one pair of animals?

Ans: Like us, animal is a living thing and it works the same as it works for other traditional farming applications. It can be made to work for a maximum of six hours in one shift in 24 hours. For 24 hours non-stop electricity, 4 sets of animals in 4 shifts are required.

Q-5. How to get electricity when animal is not working in this system?

Ans: The moment animals stop moving, the machine stops producing electricity. So while animals are working for electricity generation, Storage battery needs to be charged for back up applications. Secondly, pattern of application of electricity is villages are not similar to cities & towns. 24 hours non-stop electricity is not the natural use pattern & necessity in villages.

Q-6. To drive animals in motion, will a person be required continuously?

Ans: No, in this generator, there is an automated system which takes care of animal motion as required by the machine to run properly, at that point of time. It is fitted with automatic audio alarms for breakdowns & emergency.

Q-7. If farmers start using bullocks for power generation in villages , then how farming will be done?

Ans: In Indian situation, farmers use animals in farming applications for maximum 90-100 days in a year. Rest 265-275 days they are sitting idle which is uneconomical and a burden on scarce resources of farmer. This is one of the main reasons, farmers’ lost interest in keeping animals round the year & started opting for rented tractors etc which further destroyed the rural ecosystem & entire life cycle. Now, with this GreenPower Rural Generator technology in place , same animal can be productive on daily basis, for generation of electricity.

Q-8. What is daily recurring cost for getting electricity out of this system?

Ans: It utilizes available local resource (Bullock Power) so recurring cost is zero.

Q-9. What is the recurring maintenance cost?

Ans: The generator is almost 100 % maintenance-free, if used as per guidelines.

Q-10. What are the other benefits of this technology ?

Ans: Benefits in brief:

It produces decentralized & 100 % pollution free Green Energy using abundantly available, in-exhaustible local Bio-resource.
Simpler farmer friendly, down-to-earth, adaptable & easy to blend technology.
It optimizes available animal resource, hence ensuring better upkeep, increased value & respectability for animals & more value addition for its owner.
Maintenance free automated operation
It saves on grid electricity infrastructure expenditure for rural applications
It saves on precious forex spent in import of petroleum each year.
Revolutionizes the rural energy scenario

Helps usher in era of energy self-reliance
Brings Multimedia education, Telemedicine in realm of rural life, hence bridging gap.
Improves overall creativity and productivity of rural population.
Adds glamour to villages
Bolsters rural rehabilitation efforts like never before.

Q-11.How will it help transform rural economy?

Ans: Animals are considered to be back bone of rural economy in India. With this technology in place, value of work animals will increase. It will add value & glamour to owners of animals as they will become owners of micro power plant. Kerosene usage will become a thing of past in villages. Once animals’ position is re-strengthened, villagers will be encouraged to use biogas for cooking as well. This will help resurrect & rehabilitate the rural economy to an extent. Organic manure (in place of chemical fertilizers) will rejuvenate soil adding to its productivity and yield. So the complete cycle will be restored. This will empower rural India, naturally !!

Note: Any new technology is always subject to apprehensions, questions & scrutiny. We invite and encourage meaningful questions to destroy the myth. For any further query related to application & impact of this GreenPower Rural Generator, please write to us at info@greenenergysolutions.co.in .

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mynk

Interested in the development sector and hoping to use the skills to create a positive impact......read more

4 Comments

Comments

Permalink Submitted by GOPIKANTA GHOSH on Oct 28, 2010

It is great information to share

Permalink Submitted by mynk on Nov 22, 2010

A huge amount of discussion on this topic can be found at -

http://groups.google.com/group/green-india/browse_thread/thread/7be628e2...

Permalink Submitted by Manoj kachwaha on Mar 06, 2011

Dear Mynk,
I am happy to learn that you have published the contents from my webdsite for public discussion and lot of interesting discussions and comments are already there. If anyone wants any further clarification on Generator technology, application & capability,best is he should write me directly. Commercial model is being launched from March end. We can supply systems as well .

Keep it up. Thanks for promoting the concept.

Manoj kachwaha
CEO,Green Energy Solutions,Bangalore

Permalink Submitted by GOPIKANTA GHOSH on Mar 07, 2011

It is useful for rural poor...

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