Tap and Switch

Electric mobility has grown massively all over the world in the past decade or so, spurred by multiple factors like increase in oil prices, environmental awareness about emissions and depleting fuel reserves, new technological developments in battery storage and drop in prices of associated equipment. In India, small battery-powered e-rickshaws were the first to gain some mainstream popularity, at least in the metros and some of the tier-2 cities. These were followed by electric 2-wheelers, then by cars and buses. Electric 2 wheelers are becoming more popular, and there are special incentives offered on purchase of electric cars. Some cities are conducting pilot studies on use of electric buses in their public transport system. But one mode of transport which has been using electricity for several decades now is the railways. The commercial use of electrified railways grew rapidly from the 1890s to the 1920s. The first ever electric train in India ran in 1925 . Over 300 km of lines i...

The Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, mentioned the possibility of extracting water and oxygen from air using wind turbines in a recent discussion with the CEO of global wind turbine giant Vestas. There have been some strong responses both for and against these statements. Let us take a look at both these processes. The point on water extraction has probably led to many people (including myself) finding out about the French company Eole’s wind turbine model named WMS1000 dating back to 2012. (Note: Eole is no longer in business as of 2020) This model used a refrigeration based system for dehumidification, involving a compressor and fans and some components to achieve the desired air flow into the dehumidification unit. The water extraction system was installed in the nacelle (same enclosure where other equipment such as gears, generator etc. of the turbine are installed) and the wind turbine itself provided power for that arrangement. Eole WMS1000 Youtube video The fact is th...

Electricity is used so widely because it can be used for transporting large amounts of energy at a high rate, and is easily converted into a number of common end uses such as mechanical movement, heat and light. However, at present, a major problem with electricity is that it cannot be stored economically. Thus, the generation of electricity has to be controlled and adjusted according to its end use rate. The power drawn by end users at a given time is known as the ‘demand’ on the system. ‘Demand’ refers to instantaneous requirement. As the name suggests, demand side management (DSM) involves controlling the demand created by the end users. What is the need of demand side management? The higher the demand, the higher is the amount of current required. The generation, transmission and distribution equipment have to be designed and sized according to the demand and this infrastructure has a maximum capacity which it can safely handle. An increase in demand thus puts strain on existing ...