The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Popularising `green energy'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 25, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Popularising `green energy'

Chitra V. Ramani

KREDL has set up an Energy Park at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain

FUTURE-READY: Students looking at a `solar hut' at the Energy Park in Bangalore. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore: Do you want to know how adopting renewable energy sources can reduce your electricity bills? Or the different ways energy can be harnessed? Head straight to the Energy Park that has been set up at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain on Raj Bhavan Road.

The park has been set up by the State-owned Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL) with the support of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Though the park, set up on an eight-acre plot, was completed over six months ago, it still has not been inaugurated.

It was set up at a cost of Rs. 1.3 crore, with the Union Government contributing Rs. 68 lakh.

According to B. Shivalingaiah, chairman of the KREDL, the inauguration has been postponed due to the busy schedule of Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Vilas Muttemvar.

"We want Mr. Muttemvar, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Minister for Energy H.D. Revanna to jointly and formally inaugurate the park," he said.

He also said that the inauguration was tentatively scheduled for January 2007.

The park has a solar hut in which six 11 watt lights, two high efficiency ceiling fans, a refrigerator, a colour television, a VCD player and a computer all work on solar energy for several hours at a stretch.

The other interesting exhibits include a swimming pool that is kept warm through solar power, a slide for children that generates and stores energy, a battery operated car, a box-type solar cooker, a biomass gasifier, a community parabolic solar cooker, bio-fuel energy plants and micro-hydel plant.

Even though the park has not been inaugurated, it gets around 300-400 visitors every day and is popular with schoolchildren.

"This was why the park was set up. We wanted youngsters to think of `green energy' for the future, as we are consuming the other available resources at an alarming rate," Dr. Shivalingaiah said.

The park has created an environment conducive to learning.

"We all need to know about energy forms, energy sources and sustainable use of energy resources. We provide information and education about energy-related issues through entertainment," he said.

Though similar energy parks have been set up in New Delhi, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, the park in Bangalore is the largest. "After extensive search for suitable sites, we decided to set it up at the Department of Horticulture-owned Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain. We are now in talks with the Department of Tourism as we would like it to be included in the tourist circuit," Dr. Shivalingaiah added.

Similar parks are also being set up at the district level at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh each. The Union Government provides 75 per cent of the funds required to set up the park, while either the State Government or an entrepreneur has to provide the balance. District-level energy parks have been approved in 23 of the 27 districts in the State, including Davangere, Belgaum, Raichur, Gulbarga, Chikmagalur, Bijapur, Udupi, Mysore and Kolar. Such parks have been completed in 17 districts.

"Four parks have been funded by the KREDL and the rest have been set up in engineering colleges. In five districts, we are still in talks with the engineering colleges," Dr. Shivalingaiah said.

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