Pune-based entrepreneur Yogesh Joshi has developed a unique power generator that can use solar, wind and water resources at the same time, reports Huned Contractor

Whether it is a reverse horn for cars, an ultrasonic mosquito repellant, an instant starter for electric tube lights, or a clock that runs opposite to a conventional one, Pune-based Yogesh Joshi's mind has always been occupied with the thought of creating something new. A computer hardware engineer by profession, innovation attracts him no end and the latest in this series of new products and technologies is a hybrid power generator that uses all the forms of non-conventional energy sources such as sun, water, and wind. Already tried and tested with an installation on the terrace of his home as well as that of a friend, it can generate from 2,800 to 28,000 W of power per day.

"At present my entire bungalow is run on solar and wind power except for the refrigerator. I have developed LED tubes of 12, 16, 20 and 36 W ratings which I am using for home lighting. All this has led to a tremendous amount of saving in power bills apart from the fact that I don't have to worry about power supply breakdowns," says the 38-year-old entrepreneur, who got the idea of developing a hybrid power generator after having been consulted by some engineering students for one of their annual projects. "I have been experimenting on this since 2007 along with inputs from two friends, Arun Patwardhan and Shrikant Kale, trying out all kinds of permutations and combinations to make it work.

The mission was three-fold: generate a substantial amount of power, make it an efficient system with almost zero maintenance, and keep the cost low," he states.The project, apart from the investment of five years, has cost the trio above Rs 7 lakh in basic research and development. Elaborates Joshi: "We had a hard time in getting things done, right from small fabrications to turbine blades and so we procured all the required power tools to make the components ourselves."

The generator has four main parts that comprise the solar unit, the water unit, the wind unit, and the battery. The wind mill is set up on a terrace at normal height. It has three PVC blades, each of 20 inches length.

These spin to cover a diameter of 45 inches that includes the central hub of nine inches. The wind mill's highest speed is 240 rounds per minutes and it provides maximum output when the wind flows at 2 metres per second. "The unit can generate power even if you rotate the blades by hand. On a normal windy day, it generates about 1,500 W per day," Joshi says.

The solar unit has two panels in which one of them has 100 W capacity while the other is of 10 W. This generates about 1,000 W per day. To generate power out of water, Joshi has set up a small turbine in the water tank of his home and joined it to the generator.

When water is used for any purpose the turbine spins and helps generate about 300 W per day. "You can generate about 2,800 W of power per day. A single unit is made up of 1,000 W, implying that you can generate two to three units per day. This is enough to run 15 CFL bulbs of 20 W each and four fans of 100 W each. There can be more saving if the CFL or conventional bulbs are replaced with LED bulbs or tubes," he informs.

While the prototype initially cost the team Rs 50,000, the various attempts to make it more economical has brought it down to Rs 26,000. "This is a one-time investment," points out Joshi. Awaiting the approval of patent rights, Joshi has already embarked on an ambitious manufacturing plan for these generators and hopes to have the product in the market within the next two months.

"We have even started getting enquiries about collaboration or even buy-out of the technology but we would like to get into production ourselves because we see huge potential for such a product in the years to come with the current general trend in homes to have a reliable back-up of power source," Joshi says.

(Contact: Powertec Electronics & Computer Systems, 91/3, 5B, Anurag, Lane 7, Shikshaknagar, Kothrud, Pune - 411 038. Tel.: 020-25380650. Email: pecspune@gmail.com)