Delhi government to use CNG bus engines for generators
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is working on the possibility of using scrapped CNG standard floor buses’ engines for making CNG generators. In a recent meeting of Delhi Transport Department (DTC), officials have were asked to prepare a draft and explore the possibility of converting bus engines into gensets, which can be used for DTC as well as Delhi government offices. DTC officials say these engines are more powerful than an SUV’s engine.
“The Board considered the agenda item and directed that the possibility of CNG-based generator sets may be explored… power generation taking into account all the parameters with regard to pollution, etc, and also the financial implications arising out of it,” DTC’s official communication accessed by The Sunday Standard said.
Benefits of CNG generators
Clean Compared to coal, gasoline, diesel and oil, CNG is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel available.
Natural gas gensets would be good for Delhi as they won’t produce soot like coal or oil fueled generators.
Cost Effective Compared to oil or diesel, CNG is much cheaper Pollution-free Emissions of nitrogen and sulfur are lower with a CNG generator.
“The silent CNG gas generator comes with power ranging from 10 KVA to 80 KVA. If possible, we can create generators of approximately 30 KVA from one engine. We can have more than 150 gensets made from scrapped standard floor buses,” a DTC official said. “We are trying to rope in manufacturers who assemble engines and build CNG generators. These engines have power of almost 150 BHP and easily provide electricity to bus depots, large offices, etc.”
According to officials, DTC’s chief general manager will give a detailed presentation on the matter in the next meeting after analysing the financial burden on the department. “If everything goes well, we are expecting to initiate the process of using bus engines for generators by the next financial year,” the official added.
Flaws with CNG gensets
Less Powerful
As the engines are old, their power will be lesser than new ones
Safety concern
CNG engines can easily catch fire and heat up because they are a decade old
Costlier maintenance
As they ware old engines, they may be costlier to maintain