Ulta Chhaata, Wind Tree, Solar Power Tree
There is a growing demand for both clean water and power. Here are some innovative devices that promise a greener future.
Umbrella With A Twist
ULTA CHHAATA: As the name suggests, resembles an inverted umbrella. It is a large concave structure that collects rainwater in the monsoon and converts it into potable water, while the solar panels fitted alongside the canopy, produce energy in the dry season.
The rainwater collected in the ‘bowl’ of the Chhaata, trickles down the stalk to reach a filtering unit of activated carbon where itis cleared of impurities. A cluster of ten or more Ulta Chhaatas is connected to a common device where the water undergoes further filtration to remove microorganisms, making it fit for drinking. A single unit can harvest as much as 1,00,000 litres of water every year.
The solar energy harnessed in the dry season is stored in the battery and is used not just to light up the Chhaata but also the premises. Unlike a typical rainwater harvesting unit, Ulta Chhaata’s attractive design lends itself well to the aesthetics of the surroundings, especially when lit up.
The device takes up to one sq. ft of area. Ulta Chhaatas can be installed as sustainable workstations in open spaces. They can provide a green roof for reception areas, cafeterias, gazebos, car parks, bus stops and even railway stations. Each Chhaata costs between 4.5 and 5 lakh.
Besides a number of corporates, Guntakal railway station in Andhra Pradesh has installed six such structures in its premises.
Ulta Chhaata is the brainchild of a Mumbai-based environmentally conscious couple Priya Vakil and Samit Choksy whose start-up ThinkPhi designs sustainable products.
Winds Of Change
WIND TREE: Wind tree is a tree-shaped structure that harnesses wind energy using small trembling wind turbines called ‘aeroleaves’ that look exactly like leaves on a tree.
The micro-turbines work well even when there is little wind. Just a gentle breeze as light as 7 kmph is sufficient. This is something a conventional windmill cannot do.
French innovator Jérôme Michaud-Larivière designed the Wind Tree as an elegant, sustainable energy-harnessing device that would enhance urban landscapes. The first Wind Tree was a 3-m-tallstructure with 72 aeroleaves. It produced 3.1kW of power. ‘Wind Bush’ is a combination of aeroleaves and photovoltaic petals that harnesses both wind and solar energy.
For the Indian market, Larivière has created ‘Lotus’, an affordable wind tree minus the solar petals.
Sunny Tree
SOLAR POWER TREE: A solar power tree is a device that is shaped like a tree with its steel branches holding the solar photovoltaic panels.
Just like a natural tree, the steel branches of the solar tree are arranged in such a fashion that every solar panel is properly exposed to the Sun. Moreover, the panels can be mechanically tilted east or west to derive the maximum benefit of the Sun’s position. The height of the tree is about 9–10 metres.
One tree can produce about 5kW of power. One of the main hurdles in installing solar power plants is the lack of availability of large areas of land. Often, farmers are reluctant to sacrifice their cultivable land for solar power production. But a solar tree with its vertically arranged branches, occupies only four sq. ft of area, leaving almost the entire land free for cultivation. The energy generated can be used to run pumps, e-tractors and tillers as a green alternative to diesel.
India’s first solar power tree was producedby Central Mechanical Engineering and Research Institute (CMERI), at Durgapur. In2020, a much bigger tree with 35 panels was installed at the CMERI campus. The largest of its kind in the world, it produces up to 11.5kW of power. CMERI hopes to install many such solar trees along highways and farmlands.
