The
residents of Poovaranthodu, a village located on the eastern hills of
Kozhikode district, are thanking this branded pen and a youth named
Martin for illuminating their lives.
Small is beautiful. Who would have thought that the small white stem of
a ‘Reynolds’ pen can help generate electricity and light up a remote
village in Kerala? The residents of Poovaranthodu, a village located on
the eastern hills of Kozhikode district, are thanking this branded pen
and a youth named Martin for illuminating their lives.
Poovaranthodu folks have been hearing about electricity reaching their
home from politicians and officials for decades now but nothing
happened so far. Enter V T Martin, an ITI diploma holder and Radio cum
TV mechanic who runs an electrical repair shop in the town. Martin
combined his acquired knowledge of electrical currents and some native
wisdom to produce a hydro-generator. Thanks to this youth, about
200-odd households now have either solar lighting or a hydro-generator.
Other than the pen, Martin’s generator is powered by two other key
ingredients — the copiously flowing Poovaranthodu River and the dynamo
of an Enfield motorcycle. The dynamo is modified to accommodate a
magnet and a coil. The windings of the coil are done according to the
consumer’s requirement of Alternate Current (AC) or Direct
Current (DC). So, how does it all work?
“The water is brought downhill through a fibre-tube. As it reaches the
dynamo-powered generator, the size of the tube is progressively reduced
so that at the tip the water jets out through the white stem of the
Reynolds pen,” says Martin. This jet then hits the spikes of the dynamo
wheel to power the system. An inverter and battery are also attached to
the mechanism to ensure uninterrupted power.
“I tried out different tubes and pens to increase the speed of the
water jet. It was only the long white body of a Reynolds pen that
withstood the water pressure and delivered the right output,” he
explains. Martin can set up the generator, batteries and an inverter
for a one-time investment of Rs 20,000. The villagers are happy as they
can light bulbs and make fans, iron box, computer and even a mixer
work.
“Unlike in other parts of Kerala, we do not have power cuts or load
shedding,” says Chacko who runs a tea shop at Poovaranthodu. A small
band of villagers was eagerly watching a Malayalam movie in the cable
television connected to the shop.
The number of households which have opted for the hydro-generator adds
up to roughly 50 while about 150 have chosen solar power. “Those who
are conveniently located to get uninterrupted water prefer an AC
generator to a DC one while some people have solar panels too,” says
Martin. No wonder that when the nation debated the pros and cons of
nuclear power, Poovaranthodu villagers were least bothered about it.
They were busy watching the fun on TV from their homes perched in the
hills.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb152009/editpage20090214118541.asp
