The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : More timer switches for streetlights

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

More timer switches for streetlights

J.Malarvizhi

Corporation gives priority to energy efficiency

— Photo: R. Ragu

TIMELY MOVE: The Corporation plans to install timer switches to prevent streetlights from burning much after dawn, as seen on the Poonamallee High Road on Sunday.

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation has taken up energy efficiency as a priority — with plans to install timer switches for streetlights in the city in another six months and to set up solar lamps at various locations.

The switches would switch the lights on and off at set times automatically and prevent streetlights from burning in broad daylight or lying idle after darkness falls.

First phase

Mayor M. Subramanian had inaugurated streetlights with timer switches at Kavignar Kannadasan Nagar, Kodungaiyur, in December as part of the first phase of implementation of the project.

Close to 2,000 switches used to operate streetlights in the city would be replaced with timer switches at the cost of Rs.2.43 crore, he had announced.

He inaugurated the use of 21 timers installed at the cost of Rs.28.5 lakh on the day.

The local body pays the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board about Rs.18 crore annually for the electricity consumption of streetlights. The timers are expected to save between 5 and 10 per cent of this bill.

Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni had said that the expenditure on the timer switches could be recovered in about a year.

Currently, the local body expects 450 timers to be supplied shortly.

Tenders

Tenders are likely to be finalised for another 1,700 timers. Mr. Subramanian had announced that solar lamps would also be installed.

Mr. Lakhoni said that the local body had found the light output of the solar lamps installed in Saidapet to be good. The Corporation has called for tenders for the project worth Rs.42 lakh to install 200 such lamps in various slums in the city.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu