IIEST to use non conventional energy for power generation

The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) has taken an initiative to use non-conventional energy to generate power for itself. If successful, this can be a model for other institutions in the state.

The century old Bengal Engineering College, now known as IIEST Shibpur is famous for innovations and teachers. Research scholars of the institute believe that the projects will be successful.

The IIEST Shibpur had taken up a volley of new initiatives to generate energy from various non-conventional resources. Now, the institute has chalked out an elaborate scheme to generate renewable energy by utilising wastes. Kitchen wastes from the household will be collected and then will be converted into bio-gas energy. A senior official of the institute said that all the vegetables and other household wastes will be collected and will be used through a proper mechanism to produce bio-gas. A bio-digester has already been installed. The institute has a target of producing 15 kg watt of energy through biomass, wind and solar power.

The energy will be used for illuminating the campus of the institute. It has already been producing energy from solar power and wind. The energy, generated from these resources was already being used for illuminating and has started various projects to produce power by using non-conventional energy resources inside the campus. The energy produced from the non-conventional resources can be used for illuminating hostels as running pumps.

The main purpose of the project was to generate the energy which was needed to illuminate a portion of the college campus. It will cut down the electricity bill. The Institute authorities were taking up the issue with the state government so that Bio-gas energy project can be run successfully. Ajoy Kumar Ray, Director of IIEST said: “A huge waste was being generated daily from the hotels inside the campus. It was never easy to dispose the amount of waste produced in hostel kitchen. We have taken an initiative to convert the waste into bio gas energy. A special technology will be used to convert the kitchen waste to bio-energy.”

It will be a hybrid energy project combining bio energy, solar and wind power. A smart grid will be prepared for a tonne of kitchen waste produced daily from the hostels within the campus and will be put into the bio-digester machine where the vegetable wastes will be processed. The bio power will run the engine generating electricity. Solar power will be generated from the solar plants that are installed on the roof top and a total of 15 KW of renewable energy could be produced from the combination of bio, solar and wind. Already the IIEST has been carrying out extensive research works on various projects including that of the renewable energy as an alternative system of energy generation.