The second phase of the Vellore Fort lighting project is expected to take off soon. The project, aimed at augmenting the generation of electricity by tapping wind energy in addition to the existing solar power generation unit, has received the nod from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and construction of a permanent structure for the hybrid solar-wind power generation unit will begin shortly.
“We have received 50 wind turbines imported from Germany. They will be installed inside the Fort to achieve the targeted power generation of 20 KV to light the entire Fort for nearly six hours every day. At present, the solar panels are generating 4.4 KV of electricity,” project officer (PO) of DRDA, N Srinivasan, told Express.
The Rs 90 lakh project was taken up under the Self-sufficiency Scheme by the Power Grid Corporation of India and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) with an objective to light up the 16th Century Vellore Fort in a green manner.
The project, which began in the first week of August 2012, was implemented by adopting a new technology known as ‘Shroud.’
In the first phase of the project, solar panels were erected at a cost of Rs 30 lakh and a total of 10 mannequins dressed like Vijaya Nagar era soldiers were placed on the lower rampart wall of the Fort. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) controlling system was established to monitor and maintain the entire lighting scheme.
“We will install 10 more mannequins after commissioning the hybrid turbo-wind generation units,” said Srinivasan.
A building would be constructed at a cost of Rs 10 lakh inside the Tamil Nadu Police Training School on the premises of Vellore Fort. The permanent structure would house an electricity back up unit equipped with 120 batteries and SCADA.
The solar panel and turbo wind fan would be erected atop the building, said the PO and added that senior officials of ASI visited the Fort a few days ago and gave their nod to construct the building.
The building would be constructed by PWD department. “The work will be completed within two months from the day of commencement. The police department has also accepted to provide round the clock security to keep the infrastructure intact,” he further said.