PAUL: DEVELOPING HOUSEHOLD WIND TURBINE
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| Paul, Thrissur |
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As a student he was
an
avid enthusiast of electrical experiments.
Later, he worked as an electrician in the Middle East. With these as his antecedents and assets, Paul
of Thrissur embarked on his
quest for generating household electricity after coming
back to Kerala in 2008.
Solar energy,
according
to him, had the drawback of being available for only half the time of
the
day. But the wind turbines in use were
huge structures, quite unsuitable for domestic needs.
It was here that
he
decided to innovate on a scaled down version of wind turbine and
generate
electricity. Once this idea generated in his mind, nothing could deter
him from
bringing it to the logical conclusion.
But for that it
took
more than 12 years of toil with many a trial and error in the bargain.
The most critical part
of the turbine was the design of blades, which had to be light weight,
capable
of good rotation even in low wind conditions and at the same time,
sturdy
enough to withstand high winds.
He spent lakhs
of rupees
and overcame the disappointment of many failed prototypes.
Even his family was upset with his ‘obsession’. But all that changed in 2021, when his
finished model in his garden started producing electricity.
Once his
achievement became
popular in social media, his critics have become his admirers. His 35kg turbine with 12 feet diameter is
drawing installation proposals and business offers from far and wide. Even representatives from some African
countries have contacted him about the turbine that costs a little more
than
one lakh.
But he doesn’t
want to
rush and compromise on quality. He is
taking up only those installations that he can complete in one month’s
time. Afterall, a whirlwind of fortune
may not be advantageous to the inventor in the long run.
Bobins
Abraham (text), Indiatimes.com, November 9, 2022.
