US firm offers green energy solutions

California based micro turbine company Capstone Turbine Corporation is all set to foray the Indian market in collaboration with West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WEBREDA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP).

The US company signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with WEBREDA to promote micro turbine technology for rural electrification today.

The pilot project is scheduled to be completed within eight months, said George N Sibley, US consul general.

The estimated cost of this demonstration project will be around $ 2, 68,000, out of which the US government would fund around $ 65,00.

The rest would come from the ministry of non-conventional energy sources (MNES). The overall project cost would include the setting up of two micro turbine units in two villages in Purulia district, erecting a mini grid and providing training for running the unit.

As a part of the MoU, Capstone has already in process of looking for a suitable partner for proper maintenance of the units.

"We have short listed three names and would finalise of the partner issue soon. Once this pilot project is successful we might look at big commercial units as our potential market", said A Wang, strategic accounts manager, western region, Capstone.

WEBREDA will conduct the field demonstration project with 30 kilowatt (kw) micro turbine provided by Capstone, informed S P Gon Chaudhury, director - WEBREDA.

"This would be a relatively cheaper source of electricity generation among non-conventional sources of energy. The cost of energy generation would be around Rs 3.25 per kw hour (kwh) as compared to Rs 9 per kwh in case of solar", said Chaudhury. The cost burden that would fall on the end user have not yet been finalised, he added.

Presently villagers using non-conventional source of energy pays Rs 150 per month for 8 point connection and Rs 100 per month for 4 point connection, informed Chaudhury.