Self-operated street lamps to become reality soon

The system depends on natural light to switch on and off

If the experiment taken up at Malnad College of Engineering, in association with Philips India, proves successful, complaints related to streetlamps glowing during the day would be a thing of the past.

Research works related to self-operating streetlamps that work on solar energy are under progress at the college. Though streetlamps that work on solar power have been installed in several places, each lamp needs a separate panel and battery. But, the experiment at the college is different from the existing lamps.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, principal K S Jayant said, the process is to generate solar energy with the help of four solar panels and store the energy to be used for equal distribution between a number of lamps.

The system is self-operated. If natural light comes down below the recommended level, the solar energy backed lamps switch on and switches off automatically at the break of the dawn.

Philips India, in an effort to get a patent for the system, is concentrating on the new method. The company had tried the experiment at one of the colleges in Mysore a few years ago. But, it was not successful. The same technology is being used here with certain modifications and upgradation.

Already 18 lamps have been installed on the college campus and works are on since the past one month. The project is being implemented on a 50:50 sharing basis. The system is being managed by Philips, computerised and controlled directly from Bangalore.

A 16-member team from Philips, comprising officials from Germany, Japan and Thailand, visited the project site last week for inspection, said Vishwanath Hegde, who is supervising the project.

 Four 150 Watt, 24 Volt Photovoltaic Solar panels and four 12 V and 130 A H batteries are being used for the experiment.

The 18 lamps shed bright light, similar to natural sunlight, up to 10 pm. As and when the movement of people comes down, the intensity of light reduces and it is automatically switched off in the morning.

The project has come as a boon to postgraduate and research students, said the principal. The college would extend its support, if the company approaches to setup a research and development centre.

A proposal has been submitted to the company, offering to open a training centre on the premises, he added.