KOCHI, July 8: With a dark future looming ahead for Kerala, going by the acute power crisis being faced here, alternate energy seems to be the only solution to the problem.

Tapping of renewable energy sources, like wind, solar and wave energy, apart from mini hydel projects may provide the answer to the problem. According to studies, India can produce 20,000 mw from waves, another 20,000 mw from wind while the possibility of solar energy is much more. But currently the country manufactures just 815 mw from wind, of which Kerala's share is 2.125 mw. Solar energy is 909.30 kw of which Kerala produces 4.72 kw.

A wind monitoring programme has already been launched by the Centre and the State to identify ideal sites for locating wind farms in wind-prone areas of the mountainous Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. After studying 13 sites, the programme has identified Kanjikode and Kottapara in Palakkad, Ramakkalmedu, Panchalimedu and Kuttikkanam in Idukki and Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapuram.

``For setting up wind farms, we need a wind speed of 18 km per hour for 6,000 hours a year. Masts of 20-feet height have to be erected with sensors, windvane and anemo meter to collect data in Eprom chip. It will be decoded every two months to gauge the hourly wind speed,'' Dr Sree Valsan of ANERT told The Indian Express.

Though technical capability to tap wind energy exists, it is a costly proposition. According to estimates, 300 kw can be tapped from one sq km area of windfarms, Dr Sree Valsan added. Though Ramakkalmedu has the highest wind speed in India for tapping wind energy, no private investors are ready to exploit it because of absence of infrastructure apart from land to locate transformer.

This is still in the conceptual stage. To produce an installed capacity of one mw power the investment is around Rs 5 crore, though gestation period is very small. Europe and the US have wind mills capable of producing up to 750 kw. Though India has an installed capability of 815 mw, machine production is yet to get in full swing.

The concept of solar energy is well developed and popular. However, wider use of this energy has been restrained by its cost of production. But even as technology is improving to produce cheaper solar energy, the awareness of the possibilities in solar energy is also seeping into mass consciousness.Apart from tapping biomass, or wave energy, it is estimated that the sea between Thangassery and Vizhinjam can produce 13 kw per meter. But the technology is yet to be developed. While these are energy efficient and pollution-free, people are still hung up on batteries charged by electricity to light their load-shedding darkness.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.