MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF PATRON

Akshay Urja Club is an initiative of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Through the club, the ministry wishes to spread awareness on new and

renewable sources of energy amongst engineering students. At Akshay Urja Club - MIT Center, we provide technical input and information about new developments in the field of NRSE to young minds. In this regard we propose to conduct seminars, guest lectures, workshops and industrial visits which helps exposing budding engineers to the different types of renewable energy and methods of energy harvesting. We try to publish 2 issues of newsletter per semester, consisting of articles, research papers, case studies, success stories and write-ups in the area of renewable energy. What makes the club unique is the fact that it is the only club in MIT started in the year 2007 by MNRE, Govt of India. It deals with the issues which are of utmost concern at present. Our never quenching thirst for energy has forced us to look for more and more renewable sources of energy. So as budding engineers and innovators, I invite you all to participate in this revolutionary movement and put your hands together to take the club forward.

The Newsletter aims to compile various initiatives being taken in the country and provides information on status of various projects and programs.

With best wishes (Raghavendra Prabhu P.)E-mail : raghuprabhu123@gmail.com

STUDENT COUNCIL

PresidentRajesh Devaguptapu

Vice PresidentShaik Manzoor

General SecretaryAnkit Gundecha

Technical HeadApekshith Pallav

Management Head Rahil Baig

Management HeadSumeen Garg

Publicity HeadSirimuvva Chirala

TreasurerManish Agrawal

Workshops HeadMayank Kothari

Database and Sponsorship Head

Rahul Kumar

School Contact HeadDiksha Hegde

School ContactCoordinator

Priyanka Phukan

Editor in chief (Prayaas)Prerna Gokarn

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EDITOR

I have always been an environmentalist at heart.In fact ,one of my reasons for becoming an engineer is that I can help forward the green movement. AUC

has made me realise that we,as engineers, have so much potential to make a difference.Its important that,at the end of the day,we still have a beautiful world to enjoy with the money we earn. Energy is the prime mover of life. Even the classiest Cadillac on the street couldn’t run if it didn’t have an energy source.The earth is going to run dry of fuel oils within a couple of decades but major Governments still can’t think past the extra money it would take to invest in new and green energy. As a budding engineer,I do believe in the development of technology. Wars can wait,but the fragile ecosystem cannot. Akshay Urja means renewable energy and it propagates the kind that doesn’t jeopardise the environment irrevocably. I hope that the newsletter that we at AUC have put forward will inspire you in that direction.

On a lighter note, its been fantastic being the editor for its newsletter these past few months.This newsletter is entirely a team effort. My team members literally bombarded my inbox with emails and to be completely honest, I was overwhelmed to see how enthusiastic everyone was. I couldn’t be more proud of them for all the zeal they have showed ,not only for this but for everything they have ever done to benefit this club and its work.

-Prerna Gokarn(Editor in Chief - Prayaas)

4 School Contact Programs

School Contact Program is one of the best initiatives of Akshay Urja Club to create awareness among the school going students about the advantages of adopting renewable energy as an

eco-friendly alternative and how it can help environment from being destructed. Our aim is to spread awareness on the current environmental scenerio and tell them in what small way they can help to improve it. Our goal is to visit different schools in and around Manipal and hold an interactive session with the students on various topics like renewable energy, global warming, climate change, etc. We try to make the session completely fun by conducting quiz, slogan competition and display of various models which will help students understand better. We demonstrate working models of the environment projects which we make at college and teach them how can they do the same. We also distribute goodies to the winners as well as to those who interact well as a token of encouragement. We have been visiting lots of schools like Indrali Higher Secondary School, Sharada Residential School, Madhav Kripa School etc. The feedback from the students has been great. Doing such social service has always given us a sense of happiness.

This year’s story so far...

A fabulously organised Techtatva

Numbers speak for themselves...

WorkshopsSOLAR MOBILE CHARGERTeams attended : 26

URJA RACHNA - 35 teams

EventsSwades - 54 teams

Urja Rachna - 24 teams

Spark - 10 teams

Just in case, if numbers are not enough...Feedback from some of the participants

Brilliant workshops! Never thought electronics could be this interesting. One of the few workshops which I really enjoyed before the TechTatva.- Kshitij Mehrotra

A very innovative workshop, “ MAST THA! ”

- Priyansh Agarwal Vatsal Misra

The volunteers have been really helpful they really put in a lot of effort. We must say its been a tremendous start to our technical career. - Dhruv Goel

To truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.

-Barack Obama

Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd (BCIL) – Bangalore “TZed”

As a green builder who strives for the conservation of diversity in vegetation, forests, culture and urban lifestyles, BCIL has created some of the most energy-efficient residential homes. These buildings are the first certified residential apartments to be rated ‘Platinum’ under LEED. TZed, which means “Towards Zero Energy Development” is a green project spread across 5.5 acres and is designed to reduce lighting and energy by nearly 70 per cent.

If you think that India is far behind in green technology, then check this out...

Accepted definitions of green buildings describe them as structures that ensure efficient use

of materials, water, energy and other resources without depletion of nature and minimal generation of non-degradable waste. The concept of green buildings was prevalent in India from the time of our ancestors who revered the five elements of nature. Today, India can boast of Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)-certified green buildings ranging from residential complexes, exhibition centers, hospitals, and educational institutions to laboratories, IT parks, airports, government buildings and corporate offices. This list of few of the top green buildings in India gives special mention to those extraordinary structures that have left an indelible mark in the green construction industry.

Suzlon Energy Limited – Pune- “ONE EARTH”

One Earth has been LEED ‘Platinum’ rated and certified as an eco-friendly building by the

Green Building Council. One Earth can be counted as among the largest green building projects in India and is living proof that our world can be replenished with a little green effort, everyday.

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. -Thomas Fuller

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport - Hyderabad

India’s first Greenfield airport is undeniably among the top 10 green buildings in India and the first airport in Asia to be awarded the silver under LEED rating certification by US Green Building Council. Featuring 100,005 sq. m. of glass encased terminal, this green building ensures optimal use of natural light and minimal wastage of electricity or energy consumption. Yet another of its green features includes the recycling of treated wastewater for landscaping, air conditioning and flushing requirements.

Olympia Technology Park - Chennai

The world’s largest LEED rated green building is right here in India. This futuristic masterpiece features three mighty towers on 8.4 acre greenery. Constructed with energy saving technology, autoclaved blocks containing 30 per cent flyash, wooden door-frames made from compressed sawdust and low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints, Olympia is green and eco-friendly in every sense of the word.

By Deepthi

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. -Native American Proverb

Ever imagined riding a bike with a single wheel?? The UNO is one such bike that bears

a resemblance to a motorized unicycle. Generally described as either a “one wheeled motorcycle” or “electric unicycle”, it is precisely a dicycle, created by placing two closely spaced unaxial drive wheels side-by-side at the centre-point of the vehicle.

The UNO is an electric powered vehicle which is controlled in forward motion by the rider shifting weight over the centre of gravity. When the rider shifts forward, the vehicle speeds up to regain balance, when the rider leans back, the vehicle slows. Steering is controlled by side-to-side motion of the rider. The vehicle senses this shift and raises one of the two wheels to allow the vehicle to tilt in the desired turn direction.

The UNO was made by Ben Gulak, a Milton, Ontario teenager in 2006 after he witnessed major smog pollution caused by heavy use of small motor vehicles during his trip to China. He then decided to make an eco-friendly alternative to the pollution causing vehicles which resulted in the UNO.

His initial design efforts consisted of an angle-iron frame with wheelchair

motors, batteries and gyroscopes. His first test ride resulted in a crash. He had met with series of problems such as electric fires.

He then was joined by California robotics expert Trevor Blackwell, who had previously designed a unicycle, a single-wheeled gyro-

stabilized vehicle, to iron out the initial problems. Blackwell and Gulak refined the Uno’s gyro control

system so the machine would properly balance and move smoothly. The vehicle had its first public unveiling at the Toronto Spring Motorcycle Show in 2008, and was awarded a Top-10 prize on Popular Science’s list of 2008 Invention Awards.

-By Prithvi K

The Picture says it all !

-The Daring Driver

We all live in concrete jungles infested with pollution. Have you thought of having a

house which is free from pollution and has less wastage of electricity so as not to affect climatic conditions??? Well some of you might have. Now here’s a new concept called Green Building has been introduced, which is being taken seriously. Let’s have a look at it.Green Building refers to a structure which uses a process that is environmentally responsible and which is resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition.Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by: Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources Protecting occupant health and improving

employee productivity Reducing waste, pollutionGoals of green building are like Life Cycle Assessment Design, Energy, Water, Material efficiency Indoor Environment Quality Maintenance Optimization etc.The most criticized issue is the cost. All the equipment like Solar Panels, Photo Voltaic and Thermal Panels etc. cost more money. But the positive thing is that they yield 10 times as much over the entire life of the building. It is estimated that by these green building concept different sectors can save up to $130 billion on energy bills. Studies have shown that energy star certified building achieve higher rents and sale prices. In INDIA IGBC, GBC India and GRIHA are taking steps towards Green Buildings. This concept is being developed and many green buildings are already in operation in India right now.

The High-Tech Huts

-By K Rohith Reddy

MIT’s ‘Renewable Energy’ Project

“Renewable energy? Oh yes, I support the idea very much.” “I think if we put our

technology to proper use, efficient use of energy can be made.” “According to the International Energy Agency, biofuels have the potential to meet more than a quarter of world demand for transportation fuels by 2050.” Heard a lot of such statements, haven’t we? Well, let’s see how our MIT is working towards it. Here’s some interesting information we learnt about a project taken up by one of our professors,

Mr.Laxman Rao.

Q. Could you tell us about the project you’re working on?

A. The project I’m working on is ‘Hybrid Energy System: Solar and Wind Energy.’ Our main objective is to produce power using solar and wind energies. We can produce triple the amount of power which is being produced this day by 2050 if we use resources rightly. It is our responsibility to

make it happen.

Q. Could you explain it further?A. We will be using solar panels and wind turbines to capture solar and wind energy respectively. During the day, we can get direct current(DC) from the solar energy. As wind energy varies from time to time, alternating current(AC) is produced. This AC is converted DC using rectifiers. The DC produced is not a constant output, filter are used. Boost converter is used to vary the range of the output voltage. Both of the DCs are connected to a common DC link. The output of the DC link is connected to a multilevel inverter. The inverter converts it into AC output. The required power is

consumed and the remainder is stored in a battery.

Q. How far along are you?A. The outline of the system has been made using

MATLAB. After the registration process, the project will be employed. It will probably be

over by next year.

Q. What is your estimation of expenditures?

A. It depends on the equipment and the power we want to produce. Nothing much can be said about the expenses. The Government

will be funding the project.

Block Diagram of the System

Interview by Swati Induri Sri Poojitha

If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age. -Jacques Barzun

Asst. professor Laxman Rao, Department of EEE

Indian Temples Go Green

The Tirumala temple, in the south Indian city of Tirupathi, is one of Hindu’s holiest shrines.The temple’s community kitchen feeds nearly 15,000 people, cooking 30,000 meals a day. Five years

ago, Tirumala adopted solar cooking technology, allowing it to dramatically cut down on the amount of diesel fuel it uses. Tirumala has also been generating revenue from a less likely source: carbon credits. The temple now sells the credits it earns to a Swiss green technology investor.

A man from a city went to visit his friend in the country side. The moment he stepped out of his car he began to sniff the air. “Yuck! What a strong smell! What is it?”

“Must be the fresh air”,Said his cousin.

“That sure is some strong smell”,replies the city bred guy.

A frog wanted to find out whether he would meet a princess and turn into a prince charming. So he telephoned the Psychic Hotline and was told, “You are going to meet a beautiful young girl who will want to know everthing about you.”The frog said,”This is great! Will I meet her at a party ?”“No”, said the psychic. “Next semester in her biology class.”

Just for laugh

ByDeepthi

Everyone is being educated about the environment,but this one question

persists among a majority of us:What can we ,as mere ciizens of a country do about energy conservation? Mere citizens of this country have overthrown Empires,that had lasted centuries before they invaded our land. Citizens have brought the country out of economic depression.They have been to the moon and back. And in the same way, they can also conserve energy for their future generations. Some easy steps to do exactly this are:

1. Save energy to Save money.• Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.• Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use.• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.• Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

2. Save water to Save money.• Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.• Install a low-flow showerhead. They don’t cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.• Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.• Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

3. LeSS gaS = more money (and better heaLth!).

• Walk or cycle to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.• Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or

move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you

money in the long term.• Lobby your local government to increase

spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in betterment of your health and reducing traffic.

4. Skip the bottLed water.• Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.• Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

5. keep eLectronicS out of the traSh.• Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.• Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.• Recycle your cell phone.• Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event.

By Bhim Shankar

5 ways to go green

Every year Techfest takes social initiatives to play its part as youth organization in generating

awareness and developing an inclination of youth population towards the current social problems Techfest Green Campus Challenge is such an initiative to involve people in Sustainable Development and aware them about effects of neglecting the situation. Green Campus Challenge has been designed with a vision of making campuses across India more sustainable and green, and promote the idea and the necessity of the same among the college going youth of this country. The “Green Campus Challenge” is the continuation of our efforts in direction of promoting and establishing sustainability which we took under the name of “Green Campus” in the year 2010-11.

“Each and every one of us can make changes in the way we live our lives and become part of the solution”

-Al Gore

Techfest Green Campus Challenge

has been designed with a vision of making campuses across India more sustainable and green, and to promote the idea and the necessity of the same among the youth of our country. The “Green Campus Challenge” is the continuation of our efforts in direction of promoting and establishing sustainability, which we took under the name of “Green Campus” in the year 2010-11. Today, we wish to spread this campaign to each and every college in India. Green Campus Challenge is our first step in this direction.

Akshay Urja Club is taking part in the TGCC on behalf of Manipal Institute of Technology.For any further details contact, Rajesh - 7795026517

The world’s oceans are faced with an unprecedented loss of species comparable to the great mass extinctions of

prehistory, a major report suggests today. The seas are degenerating far faster than anyone has predicted, the report says, because of the cumulative impact of a number of severe individual stresses, ranging from climate warming, to widespread chemical pollution and gross overfishing.The coming together of these factors is now threatening the marine environment with a catastrophe “unprecedented in human history”.The panel of 27 scientists, who considered the latest research from all areas of marine science, concluded that a “combination of stressors is creating the conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species in Earth’s history”. They also concluded:* The speed and rate of degeneration of the oceans is far faster than anyone has predicted;* Many of the negative impacts identified are greater than the worst predictions;* The first steps to globally significant extinction may have already begun.Not only are there severe declines in many fish species, to the point of commercial extinction in some cases, and an “unparalleled” rate of regional extinction of some habitat types, such as mangrove and seagrass meadows, but some whole marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, may be gone within a generation.

The report says: “Increasing hypoxia [low oxygen levels] and anoxia [absence of oxygen, known as ocean dead zones], combined with warming of the ocean and acidification, are the three factors which have been present in every mass extinction event in Earth’s history.The panel pointed to a number of indicators showing how serious the situation is. It said, for example, that a single mass coral bleaching event in 1998 killed 16 per cent of all the world’s coral reefs, and pointed out that overfishing has reduced some commercial fish stocks and populations of “bycatch” (unintentionally caught) species by more than 90 per cent.

It disclosed that new scientific research suggests that pollutants, including flame-retardant chemicals and synthetic musks found in detergents, are being traced in the polar seas, and that these chemicals can be absorbed by tiny plastic particles in the ocean which are in turn ingested by marine creatures such as bottom-feeding fish.Plastic particles also assist the transport of algae from place to place, increasing the occurrence of toxic algal blooms – which are also caused by the influx of nutrient-rich pollution from agricultural land.The experts agreed that when these and other threats are added together, the ocean and the ecosystems within it are unable to recover, being constantly bombarded with multiple attacks.

Oceans On the Verge of Destruction