INDUSTRY
West Bengal : A Trend Setter in Renewable
Energy
Online
Report
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12.5 KW
Solar Power Plant at
Bangopalpur in Birbhum District.
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Mounting
concern to arrest environmental degradation resulting from traditional dependance on
fossil fuel has shifted the focus world over on to harnessing renewable energy sources.
This is high time that we react in right earnest to the need of the hour and make most of
our strength and potential for the promotion of renewable energy use. Keeping this in the
agenda, Left Front Government in West Bengal has constituted West Bengal Renewable Energy
Development Agency (WBREDA) in 1993 a state level nodal agency under Department of Science
and Technology and Non-Conventional Energy Sources. The primary objective was to defuse
knowledge in various fields of renewable energy and to promote the use of non-conventional
energy sources. Within five years, WBREDA at present, is one of the most prominent agency
in the Energy Map in the country. It has successfully demonstrated a few projects and has
provided a who listu approach to meet the total energy requirement of remote villages and
/ or selective utilisation centres by harnessing Solar, Bio, wind and other Renewable
sources of Energy. The projects are sustainable, self-contained, eco-friendly and
particularly in nature. The advantages of renewable energy sources to India are obvious.
The potential of various non-conventional energy and renewable sources of energy in the
country are: Bio-gas plants 17 million nos. Mini & Micro hydel 10000 MW Wind power
20000 MW The solar radiation over land area of India is more than the present world energy
consumption. Further to this, India has potentiality in Tidal power, Geo-Thermal, Ocean
Thermal Energy etc. The solar radiation in Calcutta is around 5.4 kwh/sq.m/day. In West
Bengal itself about 10 lacs Bio-gas plants can be grown. The wind monitoring and mapping
stations under operation in the state are:
| Name of the Station |
Prospect
of wind power generation |
| Sagar Island |
Bright |
| Fraserganj |
Bright |
| Haldia |
Average |
| Niskasba |
Bright |
| Purulia Ayodhya Hills |
Average |
Sundarban near Bay of Bengal, a detail survey on Tidal Power potentiality assessment
was conducted, which estimated nearly 100MW capacity. Pitts creek, Durgadwani Creek are
the potential sites for tidel power generation.
A few successful projects of WBREDA:
A. Solar Energy
- Setting up of 26 kWp SPV Power Plant (Phase I) at village Kamalpur, Sagar Island, 24
Parganas (South) for the purpose of village electrification. Number of consumers about
– 100 Operating Agency : rural Energy Co-operative.
- Setting up 26 kWp SPV Power Plant (Phase II) at village Mritunjaynagar, Sagar Island, 24
Parganas (South)for the purpose of village electrification. No of consumers about –
100 operating Agency: Rural Energy Co-operative.
- Setting up of 25 kWP Grid Connected roof-top SPV Power Plant at Vidyut Bhavan
(Headquarters of State Electricity Board) for the purpose of peak saving. This plant
operation is monitored through SCADA from WBREDA headquarters (3 K.M. away from Vidyut
Bhaban).
- Opening of three Solar shops – ‘ADITYA’ at Calcutta, Narendrapur and
Siliguri in order to commercialisation, popularisation of the renewable energy based
technology, a equipments. In last year the sale crossed Rs. 1 crore.
- Installation of SPV Domestic Lighting System – 4000 Nos.
- Installation of SPV Street Lighting System – 670 Nos.
- Installation of SPV Micro Power Plant in different institutions, Guest Hospitals,
Offices, School Hostels, etc.
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BIO Gas Plant at Tangra
Slaughter House
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B. Bio-Energy
- Setting up of country’s largest Bio-mass Gasifier Power
Plant of capacity 5 X 100 kW at Gosaba Island in Sundarbans area under South 24 Parganas
district for the purpose of village electrification.
- Setting up of more than 100 thousand Biogas Plant in
different areas of the State.
- Implementation of Improved Chula programme
C. Mini-Micro Hydel
- Commissioning of 10 kW portable micro hydel power generating
unit for the purpose of village electrification at village Kolkhola, Kolbongkhola,
Parenkhola under Darjeeling district.
- Setting up of 4 X 125 kW mini/micro hydel power station at
Rungmook Ceders under Darjeeling district.
D. Multi Disciplinary
- Energy Education Park at Calcutta to educate the common
people about the present energy scenario and future energy plan in the context of
availability of fossil fuel and threat to the environment.
- Micro level Enterpreneurship Development based on Renewable
Energy Programme in order to provide technical support to the users of the renewable
energy based gadgets in rural & remote areas and to generate self-employment.
- Design of WBREDA’s Administrative Building based on
Solar Passive Architecture Concept.
- Implementation of INDO-US joint SPV programme in Sundarbans
areas under South 24 Parganas district.
PROGRAMMES BEING IMPLEMENTED
- Installation & commissioning of 3X25 kWp STV Power Plant
at three different villages (Mansadeep-Khasmohal, Mahendragaj and Gayenbazar) in Sagar
Island under South 24 Parganas district with the help of Ministry of Non-Conventional
Energy Sources, Govt. of India.
- Installation & commissioning of 2 MW Wind Farm at
Frasergunj under South 24 Parganas district with the help of Ministry of Non-Conventional
Energy sources, Govt. of India
- Installation & commissioning of 20 kWP captive SPV Power
Plant to electrify the Sagar Rural Hospital at Rudranagar, South 24 Parganas.
- 3 MW Tidal Power Plant at urgadwani Creek near Gosaba Island
under South 24 Parganas district.
- 25 kWp Grid-Connected roof top SPV Power Plant at the new
administrative building of WBREDA ‘Bikalpa Shakti Bhvan’ and administrative
building of West Bengal Pollution Control Board, Salt Lake City, calcutta.
- Wind-diesel hybrid Power System for the purpose of less
burning of fossil fine of Sagar Island, under South 24 Parganas district.
- 500 kW bio-mass Gasifier Power Plant at Choto mollakhali
under South 24 Parganas district.
- 25 kW bio-mass gasifier Power Plant at Lolegoan under
Darjeeling District.
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25 KWp
grid-interactive SPV Power Plant at Vidyut Bhavan Calcutta
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Tata Energy Research Instittue (TERI) explored the potential of power generation
by gasification of rice hush in two blocks of West Bengal – remained Sainthia in the
district of Burdwan. WBREDA has received number of awards for commendable performance in
this field. The progress was appreciated in the country and abroad. Though, not old in age
and experience, the newly constituted organisation performed well, it has opened a new
horizon on use of allienete sources of energy and lastly, it could able to involve people
in its process of development.
(to be continued)
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