Small wind energy turbines in Tirupati

The Gujarat-based renewable energy company, Suzlon, is setting up a string of small wind energy turbines atop the holy Tirumala hills in Tirupati..

Suzlon setting up small wind energy turbines in Tirupati

Our Bureau HYDERABAD,
Business Line
THE HINDU group of publications
Friday, Jul 04, 2003

THE Gujarat-based renewable energy company, Suzlon, is setting up a string of small wind energy turbines atop the holy Tirumala hills in Tirupati. Civil works for the one-MW each, six units of the wind power project have already begin and the objective of the initiative is to supply power to the central grid that is currently meeting the needs of the increasing numbers of pilgrims who visit the holy temple town.

The entire site selection to put up the wind turbines on Tirumala has been done by the Centre for Energy Technology (CET), a renewable energy focussed group under the Osmania University Engineering College. While the Gujarat company will fund the entire project and operationally run it, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) would be the owner and will pay a nominal rate per unit towards the costs of the energy produced, according to CET. The investments for setting up a one-MW wind turbine power generator is of the order of Rs 3.5 crore.

The CET has also done a site selection study for Suzlon in the district of Anantapur for the latter's plans to set up a 20-MW wind park. A dedicated team of experts and researchers in the field of alternate energy has been built up at the centre for such initiatives. The CET has been able to attract technology development and popularisation projects from the Union ministries of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Power and Coal, the All India Council for Technical Education and the Centre for Wind Engineering Technology. In addition, it is forging joint initiatives with the private sector, according to Prof C.N. Reddy, Director of CET and Principal of the engineering college.