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Agni:
A leading Technical Tamil Magazine: Published
an article on the impact
of the removal of Prosopis juliflora,
a tree which will absorb the ground table
water – an important issue in Tamil
Nadu.
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IEI’s
32nd Indian Engineering Congress in Chennai
proves a grand success URL: http://ibrnewz.blogspot.in/2017/12/32nd-indian-engineering-congress-in.html
The 32nd Indian Engineering Congress organized
by the Institution of Engineers (IEI),
Tamilnadu State Centre in Chennai, on
December 21-23 was largely attended. The
3-day Conference and symposium witnessed
paper presentations and enlightened speeches
by various chapters of the Institution
as part of the technical sessions.Addressing
the gathering, Hon’ble Banwarilal
Purohit,Tamil Nadu Governor,
said that the deliberations at the technical
sessions would surely have generated more
awareness and promoted newer ideas for
greater innovation and creativity in various
engineering disciplines.
The valedictory
session was addressed by Hon’ble.
Ram Nath Kovind, President of India,
who said the topics selected for discussion
were of great relevance today, and the
emerging innovative techniques and trends
would positively help the society to advance
further. This Congress would also provide
opportunities to the delegates to exchange
their views and ideas with the objective
of involving the student community in
making higher technological achievements.
Dr. G. Ranganath,
Principal, Adhiyamaan College of Engineering,
and Chairman, IEI, Tamil Nadu State Centre,
Chennai, Er. T.M. Gunaraja, Co-Chairman,
Er. R. Ramdoss, Honorary Secretary, IEI,
Dr. R. Velraj, Professor&
Director, Institute for Energy Studies,
Anna University, and IEI, Chennai Chapter,
Dr. P. Rajamani, Head of IEI - Madurai
Chapter, and Dr. R. Selvaraj, BHEL, and
Head of IEI, Trichy Chapter, together
worked hard to make the 3-day event in
Chennai a grand success.
-
The New Indian
Express, 4th March, 2017 URL:
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2017/mar/04/tnpcb-to-set-up-six-member-panel-on-neutrino-observatory-project-feasibility-1577392.html
After Nearly Two years, the country’s
ambitious basic science project –
India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)
seems to be moving forward after the Tamil
Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) proposed
to form a six-member expert technical
committee to look into the matter.
The TNPCB counsel Yasmeen Ali submitted
the names of six expert members –
R Velraj, Professor and Director, Institute
of Energy Studies; A Pandurangan,
head, department of chemistry, Anna University;
M Suresh Gandhi, Department of Geology,
and K Sivaji, Department of Nuclear Physics,
University of Madras; Nehru Kumar Vaithilingam,
director, Centre for Environmental, Health
and Safety, Annamalai University; and
S Balaji, former chief conservator of
forest and former member-secretary of
State Forest Commission. The committee
will be coordinated by D Sekar, additional
chief environmental engineer, TNPCB.
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Dr.
R. Velraj, Director of the institute of
energy studies, Anna University, said
the solar sector cannot grow without adequate
manpower. “University courses and
curriculum do not meet the specific skill
requirement of the renewable energy industry.
The curriculum must focus on technology
and design. Also, the institutions should
provide extensive training and exposure
on latest trends and technologies,”
he said.
The
professor said Anna University was the
first university in the country to start
M.E. Solar Energy programme in 2010. Across
the country, over 50 institutes are offering
master level programme on Solar and about
1,000 students are benefiting, he said,
pointing to the shortage of skilled ITI-trained
candidates who have exposure to renewable
energy. “The syllabus of ITI needs
to be revisited to strengthen and build
awareness on RE,” he said.
“We
have partnered with TEDA and private companies
to hold training programmes for academicians,
engineers and technicians. On this experience,
we are planning to train trainers in the
next one year,” he said. Anna University
has been identified as one of the partners
for solar energy training network which
plans to train 4.25 Lakh qualified and
skilled manpower in solar energy sector,
he said. A senior TEDA official said manpower
requirement for setting up solar plant,
utility or rooftop is largely a combination
of fabrication, electrical and masonry
skills.
“For
ITI students with electrical background,
the skill up-gradation needed is minimal
and can be through on-the-job training.
However, at project management level,
there is a growing need for qualified
manpower as it requires specialized knowledge
and training,” he added.
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The
synergies inherent in combining India’s
scientific strengths and the United States’
technical know-how are something that
can bring significant progress in the
development of frontline technology in
solar energy, according to speakers at
a Indo-US workshop on the subject, in
the city on Monday. Speaking at the ‘Indo
US workshop on Advances in Solar Energy
and Utilization — Fast Forward with
Solar Mission’ held at the Anna
University’s Vivekananda Auditorium,
David S Ginley, Research Fellow and Group
Manager at the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, Denver, USA, told the students
who had gathered here, that a collaboration
between the two countries in the development
of Photovoltaic Cells was on track already
and had the potential for more.
The
workshop was also attended by several
prominent persons in the field of renewable
energy, including Sudeep Jain, Chairman
& Managing Director of Tamil Nadu
Energy Development Agency, William Tumas,
Associate Lab Director, NREL, R Murari,
Advisor to the president FICCI, S Ganesan,
Registrar of Anna University and R Velraj,
Director, Institute for Energy Studies,
Anna University.
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Director of the Department of Energy,
Anna University Dr. Velraj said India
gives great importance to cooperation
with Russia and has high expectations
for the NPP Kudankulam. He also pointed
out the actuality of the exhibition on
the eve of the start of the first power-generating
unit and insisted on the importance of
provision to people information about
modern technologies used in Kudankulam
project, its environmental compatibility
and safety systems.
- New
Indian Express, India – 24th October,
2016 on his Research Project (http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2016/oct/24/tapping-resources-to-power-villages-1531180.html?pm=331)
To
overcome power challenges faced by the
rural population, the Anna University
(AU) is leading a research project, where
villages can completely switch over to
renewable sources of energy without any
power cuts or disruptions. Joining hands
with AU are Madras University, Alagappa
University and Bharathidasan University.
Shortly, there would be a technology demonstration
in one of the villages in the State, said
Director of the Institute of Energy Studies
R Velraj, who is also the principal investigator
of the project. The project focuses on
generating cool energy that will be stored.
The source of power would be solar and
wind energy. Besides electrifying homes
and offices, the energy generated can
be used to preserve dairy and food products
in villages where air-conditioning facilities
are inadequate. The official said that
in recent years there was a boom for renewable
energy, but solar and wind energy are
intermittent. There is a mismatch between
demand and supply.
“There
is a need for energy storage and if we
can promote decentralized power resources
in village side, it would help both in
job opportunities and industrial activities,”
he said. Velraj said in order to overcome
the present energy challenges, smart technological
solutions are the need of the hour. A
project titled “Sustainable energy
technologies- efficient renewable power
generation with energy storage for sustainable
smart grid” was submitted to the
Ministry of Human Resources Department
(MHRD) under research and innovation scheme
in December last year. The Project Approval
Board (PAB) of MHRD has sanctioned a grant
of `15 Crore. The project is in line with
Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas
(PURA) and Tamil Nadu’s strategic
plan for infrastructure development for
greener tomorrow. “The major objective
of this project is to maximise the share
of renewable energy (solar, wind, bio
energy) in total power generation and
reduce the barriers in the integration
of new storage technologies,” he
said. Small villages can generate locally
0.5 MW to 5 MW, Velraj said. This can
be further fed into the grid. Power can
be generated in the open terrace. Explaining
the micro grid concept, he said, “This
project is focusing on generating power
in villages so that micro grid concept
can be adapted. We can generate power
from solar and wind and this can be transferred
to all houses and offices of the villages
through the local transmission line called
micro grid. Thereby we can introduce energy
storage concept and be independent of
TANGEDCO. ”To a query, Velraj said
they are yet to identify the village,
where the technology will be adopted and
demonstrated. He said the first instalment
of `7.5 crore had already been allotted
out of the total `15 crore for this research
project.
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CHENNAI: Several colleges are increasing
their installation capacity of solar
power plants to cut down on the electricity
bills. Already, many educational institutions
have units generating 20 Kilo Watt (KW)
to 100 KW, and now they are going to
500 KW units. Institutions like Anna
University (AU), Madras Medical College
(MCC), MOP Vaishnav College, D G Vaishnav
College, Vivekananda College, Jerusalem
Engineering College, and Mohammad Sathak
AJ College of Engineering on OMR are
using solar power. Anna University installed
small-capacity solar power generation
plant in 2013. Currently, the three
colleges affiliated to the AU, including
College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras
Institute of Technology (MIT) and AC
Tech, generate 34 KW daily. The CEG
alone generates 20 KW bringing down
the combined electricity bill by Rs
30,000 per month in these institutions,
said R Velraj, Director, Institute for
Energy Studies. Now, the AU took a decision
to go for bigger solar power plants.
The university is going to install large
power plants in the College of Engineering,
Guindy, which will generate 500 KW solar
power. “While large solar power
plant will be installed in CEG, Rs 1
Crore is allotted for solar streetlight,
sanctioned by the MHRD, of which half
will be installed in CEG and half in
MIT,” he said. He also added that
under another Tamil Nadu Govt scheme,
100 KW solar installation will be done
in MIT and 150 KW in AC Tech. Under
the same scheme 18 colleges under Anna
University will have 50 KW solar power
plant, which is also approved by the
government.
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With
concern for non-availability of potable
drinking water growing, researchers
at Anna University have come up with
a smart solution to address the issue
using domestic goods like a refrigerator
and air conditioner. They claim that
drinking water can be produced using
heat from solar Photovoltaic (PV)
operated Vapor Compression Refrigeration
(VCR) system or AC following the simple
logic of evaporation and condensation.
R Velraj, Director, Institute for
Energy Studies, Anna University, said
the heat that is pumped out to the
atmosphere by the evaporator in one
tonne AC machine can be utilized to
generate 20 litres of water per day.
Velraj and his team submitted the
project proposal titled ‘Desalination
through ,nhhhwaste heat recovery from
solar PV operated VCR system’
to the Department of Science and Technology
and a grant of ` 35 lakh has been
provided for the project .
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