The Hindu 16.12.2011
Corporation’s power conservation measures yield dividends
Civic body will install LED bulbs in street lights in its added areas
New initiative: Coimbatore Corporation as part of energy conservation
measures has gone in for LED bulbs in street lights. — PHOTO: S. SIVA
SARAVANAN
During the April 2011 – March 2012 (based on estimates),
the Corporation power load for street lights is expected to be around
5,600 kw. For such a consumption, the civic body will pay around Rs. 5.3
crore.
Rewind a couple of years ago to April 2009 to March 2010. Then the Corporation’s load was 4,163 kw and it paid Rs. 6 crore.
Take
one more data: the number of street lights during April 2009 to March
2010 was 2,548. During April 2011 to March 2012 it is 2,998.
In
short, though the number of street lights and load has increased, the
Corporation is paying a reduced sum to the Tamil Nadu Generation and
Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO).
Corporation
Commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy attributes the fall in consumption charges
to the energy-saving measures the civic body has taken. “Couple of years
ago, the Corporation tied up with Salzer Electronics Limited to reduce
power consumption by dimming street lights late in the night and also
switching off alternate lights.”
Such a measure has helped the Corporation save nearly 40 lakh units in April 2010 to March 2011 and 86 lakh units this year.
As
per the agreement between the Corporation and the company, the latter
will get to enjoy the benefits for the first three or four years and
thereafter the Corporation.
Agreement
It is part of the public-private partnership agreement, say Corporation engineers.
As
a follow-up initiative, the Corporation has now gone in for LED bulbs
in street lights. After switching on the bulb a couple of days ago,
Mayor S.M. Velusamy said that the civic body would save about two-thirds
of what it spent on sodium vapour or metal halide bulbs.
The
Corporation will install LED bulbs in street lights in its added areas.
As per an estimate the Corporation has about 30,000 lights in added
areas.
