Karnataka

Power supply to streetlights in Chitradurga being regulated

To save power: One of the Energy Tracking and Control Systems installed in Chitradurga city.

Chitradurga: With an objective of saving power and regulating electricity supply to streetlights in Chitradurga city, the district administration has installed energy saving devices.

Energy Tracking and Control Systems have been installed in the city on a pilot basis. With this system, power supply to streetlights can be regulated based on the requirement.

Nitin Kanshal, director (research and development), Elpro Energy Dimensions, the implementing agency, said that the system had a mechanism with which timings could be set for each group of streetlights. Once the timings are set, the streetlights will automatically switch on and off.

Intensity of the lights could be adjusted with the dimming system, he said. Intensity of the lights could be reduced during late night hours when vehicular traffic is less.

Mr. Kanshal said that the technology would also help prevent power theft. The functioning of the system could be controlled and monitored from a command centre through wireless technology, he said. The system sends a message to the centre if any streetlight was not functioning, he said.

The command centre has been set up on the Chitradurga City Municipal Council (CMC) premises.

Mr. Kanshal said that system would save up to 50 per cent electricity which generally would go waste in the absence of such a mechanism.

Twenty-five such systems have been installed in the city at a cost of Rs. 15 lakh. They are regulating power supply to nearly 600 sodium vapour lamps and tube lights. The city has nearly 3,500 tube lights and about 1,000 sodium vapour lamps.

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