A city eco park gets an EV solar charging station!
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- Category: EV Technology
- Published on Friday, 19 August 2011 11:52
- Written by Tejas Joseph
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EVfuture builds and installs a solar charging station for a nature park in Chennai
The Adyar Tholkappia Poonga project is a first of its kind in India. It is an ambitious program of ecological engineering that reclaimed and re-greened an estuary of the Adyar river,which empties into the Bay of Bengal to the north of Chennai. Extending over an area of 58 acres,the Poonga is a permanent exhibition of the symbiosis between man and the biosphere relayed to visitors through the medium of art : elaborate and detailed drawings,sculptures and illustrations of insects,birds and a variety of animals. Designed and developed from ground up the Poonga (as it has come to be known in popular parlance) took 5 years to complete its first phase. The Poonga is a rare exercise in creating a green oasis and sanctuary in the middle of a bustling and highly polluted Indian metropolis. It is a model that can be replicated by many Indian cities, bolstering and adding value both to their ecologies and societies in the process. 
Coming soon - bird watching as an urban pastime : The cultivated water bodies of the Adyar Poonga also hopes to attract many species of local and migratory birds to come and nest here over time. What a blessing this could be someday (to those who dwell in the high rises that dot the Poonga on almost every side) to bird watch exotic species from the convenience of their balconies or bedroom windows! In simple terms the Poonga attempts to illustrate the value and necessity of ecosystems through its integrative model. It attempts to educate the people of Chennai ( and its school going children in particular) about the fragile thread that links us all and the collective need to take care of it. 
Renewable and Sustainable! : The judicious integration of alternate technologies and renewable energy is part of the Ponnga's agenda for a cleaner and greener environment. A giant water pumping windmill and solar street lamps along its pathways attest to this aspect of the park's theme.
The Poonga and EvFuture: Partnering non polluting transportation EVFuture was commissioned in 2010 to build an electric cycle rickshaw for garbage collection in the park, Earlier this year we were asked to develop a solar based charging station for this electric 3-wheeler. EVFuture took this opportunity to develop a grid-free charging station powered by solar panels and capable of charging up to two light EVs at a time. We also used this occasion to fine tune and test a digital charge controller that we had been working on for sometime. 
The station was transported from Auroville to the Poonga in Chennai in early June of this year and installed with no ceremonies. Today the Adyar Poonga is the proud owner of a modular solar charging station from Evfuture that boasts a power center comprising of (1) 180 aH battery : (4) Solar Panels of 80watts capacity each and : (1) 700 watt inverter. 
The system incorporates our custom designed digital charge controller that indicates at a glance power input/output .This,we believe, is a novel feature that goes to make such systems more user friendly and interactive besides making for more efficient troubleshooting.
And when you are in Chennai next, please make some time to visit the Adyar Poonga. Its a wonderful experience,and not just for our EV solar charging station we can assure you.
To know more about this unique eco project see www.pitchandikulamforest.org