This Kerala Man Has Designed A Homemade Wind Turbine That Can Meet A Household's Energy Needs
Several energy sources in nature can be used to generate clean and renewable energy around the year, and not utilising them is a crime, that is was IP Paul, a resident of Kerala's Thrissur firmly believes.
It is this belief that led Paul on a quest for over a decade until he perfected a mini wind turbine, that can be installed even on rooftops and generate enough power from 'normal' wind to power an entire house.
How it started
Paul who was an avid DIY enthusiast had a keen interest in electricity and electric devices from a young age.
"I became interested in electricity when I was a school student. I used to do small experiments with batteries, wires, and power at home itself," Paul told Indiatimes.
After working in the middle east for nearly 15 years as an electrical technician, Paul returned to his hometown in 2008 and continued exploring his passion.
13 years to get it right
"One of the drawbacks I felt about solar energy was that the power generation was limited to the daytime and not around the clock. The other option was wind energy, but the turbines were massive, expensive and loud. They could not be installed at homes. So I started exploring how to make a wind turbine for a home," Paul said.
And that search went on for nearly 12 years until Paul finally managed to create a working model of his axial flux wind turbine.
"I experimented with several designs, models and materials for the wind turbine. The R&D went on for many years and I spent lakhs of Rupees in the process. There were several failures and setbacks but I refused to give up," Paul said.
Producing energy from normal wind
His persistence finally paid off and in 2021 the wind turbine was up and running in the garden of his house.
The wind turbine has a diameter of 12 feet and weighs just over 35 kg. It can produce up to one unit of electricity an hour.
The three-phase electricity generated is then converted and stored in batteries.
According to Paul, the most difficult part was designing the blade which should be durable, lightweight, and rotate at a slow wind speed.?
"The biggest challenge was to design the blades for the turbine. After trying out several materials I used fiberglass and even made the wooden molds myself. The blades have to be designed with precision as if it becomes thin, the blade will break in high wild and if it is thick it won't rotate in slow wind conditions," he explained.
From critics to fans
Unsurprisingly Paul's family and friends didn't share his enthusiasm and were highly critical of him for wasting money.
"When I started doing this I was well aware that it was not going to be an easy task. I have spent several lakhs of Rupees on this. Even my family used to get upset at times wondering what I am up to. Sometimes they would support me throughout, only to realise later that the prototype field which irritated them. But now things have changed and my critics have become admirers," Paul said.
According to him a wind turbine that can generate enough power for an average household could cost a little over Rs 1 lakhs.
Flooded with calls and business proposals?
Paul's wind turbine soon became a hit and after the word spread on social media he is getting flooded with calls for installation and business proposals from across Kerala, and other states. Even representatives from some African countries contacted him expressing interest in his invention.
"I am getting so many calls these days to the point where I can't answer many of them. I also got many inquiries from foreign countries. Mostly it is installation requests. Some also have promised to become investors if I want to manufacture the turbines commercially, which I have no plans as of now," he said.
"But I don't want to rush and compromise on the quality so I am only accepting orders that I can complete the installation within a month," he added.?
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