It’s not unknown that the reserves of fossil fuels across the globe is fast depleting leading to global warming.

With every passing day, there is an increase in the need to harness the renewable sources of energy.

Keeping this in mind, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) along with the Union Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources has set up an Energy Park in the City to be able to do just this.

The park, spread over an area of eight acres, has been set up at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore. Of this, Rs 98 lakh has been given by the Centre as subsidy.

“It is with the aim of providing information and educating the public about energy related issues through entertainment and exhibits that the state level Energy Park has been set up at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Garden,” says B Shivalingaiah, MD, KREDL.

Any visitor at this park is bound to leave, quite impressed at the set up. Among the many things, the park has a solar hut, solar energy swimming pool, solar PV pumping station, battery operated cycle and car, solar powered car, energy generating slip and drum, parabolic type solar cooker, box type solar cooker, wind water pump, wood biomass gasifier, community parabolic solar cooker, solar photovoltaic power plant, solar pv-wind hybrid system and battery operated passenger bus, besides fuel energy plants.

The solar hut, constructed using bamboo, consists of four 75-watt Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panel and twelve 75-watt framed solar PV module.

The advantage of BIPV is to allow natural sunlight through the transparent glass apart from generating power to charge the battery. The total capacity of installed solar power plant on the roof is 2000 watts.

Sunlight directed on the solar module is converted into electricity and the generated current is used to charge the battery bank which is stored there. “With this power, two fans, a refrigerator, a television, a VCD player, a computer and several light bulbs can run smoothly for five to six hours a day,” says Shivalingaiah.

FACT FILE

*It has taken 60 years for India to reach the installed capacity of power from 1367 MW in 1947 to 1,34,000 MW in 2007.

*The country has set an ambitious target of adding 1,00,000 MW of power to the national grid by 2012.

*There are about 1.55 lakh villages that still need electricity in the country and about 56 per cent of  households do not have access to electricity. The Government of India wants to electrify all villages in the country by 2007 end and all households by the end of 2012.

*It is in this context that the GoI has mandated that at least 10 per cent of the total addition of the capacity has to come from renewable energy sources.

*It is believed that the country has an estimated potential of 45,000 MW from wind (as against the installed capacity of 7092 MW); 21,000 MW (1186 MW) from biomass; 15,000 MW (1975 MW) from small hydro and 20 MW per sq km from solar photo voltaic sources in the country.