Providing Renewable Solutions for Prisons in India
Optimal Power Solutions in India, Optimal Power Synergy India (OPSI) has successfully partnered in a project in Kerala, India to supply 52 prisons with Power Conditioner Units (PCU). A total of 230kW already installed in Poojapura Central Prison and a further 670kW to be installed in six other locations. OPSI have been chosen as a key supplier in the cooperation which is lead by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (Ministry of Home Affairs), Department of Prisons, Kerala, Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation and Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments.
The initiative derived from the government’s emphasis around the need for Renewable Power, other Eco-Friendly Systems and a reformist approach to prison models. This includes reducing the dependency on expensive and scarce Grid Power whilst also eliminating the use of firewood in cooking. Also, it is to reduce the consumption of LPG cylinders and to ensure uninterrupted power supply within the prison complex. Ridding the usage of firewood will decrease the CO2 emissions and lower the potential risk of a fire hazard. The Governments initiative to reduce LPG cyclinders stems from the idea of eliminating a major safety risk as this has been the case in many occurrences in prior years. Also, the exponential rise in the cost of cylinders increases daily operational costs therefore not proving to be a viable long term option. In the long run, using diesel generators as back-up power supplies is not a feasible alternative as the cost of diesel fuel is constantly on the rise.
At the heart of the system, OPS PCU’s have been installed to function as a Power Inverter, control centre and a remote monitoring system. It provides data logs within 10 minute intervals of solar photovoltaic (SPV), battery and grid generation and consumption. The data is automatically stored and can be manually and remotely accessed anytime.
The PCU’s will help monitor and arrange power usage accordingly by providing different loads with the most efficient energy source. By using the solar PV with batteries or grid the Prison’s enjoy an uninterrupted source of power. Another economic function is the enabling of high volume food production. The initiative has also given birth to a sound scheme whereby prisoners produce chappati’s and other daily meals for external sales. Having enough power to run the machine, the Prison has now begun to not only sufficiently feed the prisoners but to also sell in the broader community. The machine on average produces 50,000 chappati’s and 8000 packets of curry a day.
OPS would like to tahnk all the individuals involved in such an environmentally beneficial project and especially the team at OPSI for the planning and implementation.
Kerala Prison photos are available at our website Flickr site
For Indian enquiries, please contact Optimal Power Synergy India (OPS India)
