The Challenges - Home Energy Solution

One can easily imagine a typical house in an Indian city equipped with several electrical appliances such as TV, audio system, personal computer, lamps, ceiling fans, air conditioner, refrigerator, washing machine, water heater, electric oven, food mixer, vacuum cleaner, electric iron etc. All of these devices essentially draw electricity and do not run at 100% efficiency. Apart from the unavoidable losses due to limited efficiencies of these devices, substantial energy gets wasted in the form of unused heat, light and mechanical energy due to design limitations of these devices and negligence on part of the user. The total electrical energy used in a small family home may range from 4 to 10 kWH per day. Added to this one hour of daily gas stove usage in kitchen may spend 3-6 kWH heat every day. Again, not all heat produced by burning gas goes in cooking food.

On the other hand, we do receive enormous energy from nature in the form of wind and solar radiation right at the walls, roofs and windows of a house. Solar power received may be as high as 1.3 kW/m2 on a bright sunny afternoon.

Notwithstanding the future improvements by appliance manufacturers in the energy management of their products and increased awareness among the users about the energy crises, some energy will continue to get wasted in the form of unwanted / unused heat, light and mechanical energy.

The challenge is to build a portable device that will use only this normally wasted energy and / or the free natural energy received in the house to provide 20 Watt-hour energy for at least 1 hour duration, without increasing the normal energy expenditure towards each individual appliance in a house.