The Hindu : Front Page : Compact lamps to cut down electricity bill of rural bodies

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Sunday, Aug 12, 2007
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Compact lamps to cut down electricity bill of rural bodies

R. Sairam

Union Ministry sanctions Rs.6.5 lakh as subsidy for the project

MADURAI: In a move intended to help rural bodies trim down their electricity bill, 1,000 conventional fluorescent tubelights are going to be replaced by more energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) under a Union Government project in one village in each of the five districts in the State.

This is being implemented in the districts of Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchi, Thanjavur and Coimbatore through the State Government.

The respective District Collectors have been asked to expedite the process, according to S.M. Vijayakumar, Deputy General Manager of Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA).

The agency is the nodal body in the State for implementing the project.

The Block Development Officers concerned will identify the villages and submit a report to Project Officer of District Rural Development Agency.

The report will be routed to TEDA through the Collector.

Each village must have 200 conventional tubelights available for conversion.

“These villages will be made model hamlets and the impact of this pilot project will be assessed before proceeding further,” says Mr. Vijayakumar.

The conventional 40 Watt tublelights consume 55 Watts and have a lighting efficiency of only 20 per cent.

A lot of energy is lost as heat in conventional tubelights, he says.

The 18 W CFL, which would give the same amount of lighting, gives 80 per cent lighting efficiency.

A subsidy of Rs. 6.5 lakh, which works out to Rs. 650 per lamp, has been extended for this project by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through Central financial assistance.

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