Energy from wind

Windmills for pumping water have been designed and built in Auroville since the early pioneering days. One of the first designs was the Cretan windmill, made of wood and cloth-sails.
Aureka, in collaboration with CSR, started work on the design of a multi-blade windmill as early as 1984. The design has evolved from the practical experience of Aurovilians gained in operating windmills over the last two decades. The AV55 can now be used for pumping water from bore wells as deep as 100m as well as for low-lift high-volume output from open wells.

Today, there are more than 30 windmills of various designs spread over the Auroville plateau for pumping water.

Generating electric power through wind is seriously hampered by the fact that Auroville does not always get the high velocity winds that prevail further south. Two wind generators, which under optimum wind conditions are capable of generating 4kW of power, are part of a hybrid solar and wind energy system that is being tested at the Visitors Centre. However, the actual output we are able to get in Auroville is much lower.

CSR-windpumps is the unit involved in R & D.

Aureka is the manufacturing unit for the Auroville windpump AV55.

Enquiries : aureka@auroville.org.in