A little instrument attached to a loom produces electricity. This novel idea of V Karappan, a researcher and national level trainer for handloom weaving, has been successfully tried in Sirumugai, near the City.

It is a little designed-dynamo attached to the loom that generates electricity. The rotating wheel of the loom generates power to the dynamo and is stored in a battery. This then is passed on to other equipment that runs on power.

The handloom sector is quite important as it also provides several job opportunities. To make this more innovative and cost-effective, this idea was tried and has proved successful, says Karappan.

This little dynamo has the capacity to produce electricity of 100 to 200 watts only and the initial cost works up to Rs 10,000. If more money is spent to raise the capacity of the instrument, it will prove more beneficial, asserts Karappan.

Prof Etsuro Ishigami from Fukuoka University in Japan who is in India as part of a research on the traditional industry and its clusters visited the City recently as also Sirumugai. He was impressed with Karappan’s project and even took notes.

The loom industry needs power and anything that helps cut the power bill is welcome, says weaver A.Velusamy. Weavers like him say that the textile department should do all to support such projects.