10 August,2010 06:42 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Civic body generates 100 kW power for streetlights from biogas plants
An initiative that produces 100 kW of power for streetlights everyday from 57 tonnes of organic waste has made the city a shining example of green technology utilisation to overcome power shortage.
And the civic body now plans to nearly double the electricity production in six months.
"We are generating almost 20 per cent of the 500 kW power target for all civic bodies combined in Maharashtra," said Suresh Jagtap, Deputy Commissioner, Solid Waste Management, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
He added that the PMC is expecting a grant of Rs 1.32 crore from the Union Ministry of Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy.
The PMC uses biogas to power streetlights in Hadapsar, Model Colony, Yerawada, among other localities.
Jagtap said the PMC is the leader among all municipal bodies in the state on this count and will soon get a garbage processing plant to increase capacity.
"With the new plant, 100 tonnes of garbage can be processed everyday to generate power from bio-waste," said Jagtap.
At the Aundh biogas plant, which has five tonnes of bio-waste processing capacity, Ward Officer Jayantkumar Bhosekar said they produced nearly half of all the biogas power generated for streetlights by the PMC.
"We have succeeded in generating power with sustained efforts and are collecting 75 cubic metres of methane gas," said Bhosekar.
Rajkamal Chandekar and Ghanashyam Bobde, who run the plant, said 45 kW of power was produced everyday. They said the power generated was not only used to run the plant and internal streetlights at the ward office, but also the streetlights on roads outside.
