Windmills may whirl soon at select sites along the coastal belt of Kerala, including Kochi, to generate power. Experts from Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) will tour the coastal areas of Kerala next week for assessing the possibility of establishing the windmills, say reports on April 2.    

The agency proposes to carryout feasibility studies for establishing six wind monitoring stations along the coastal belt of the State, including Cherai in Kochi, Kole Wetlands in Thrissur and MES College ground at Ponnani in Malappuram district, for evaluating the power production potential of these sites.    

Wind potential of the area would be evaluated for one year for selecting suitable sites, said CK Chandrabose, Joint Technical Director, Wind Energy Project of Anert.    

The monitoring stations will collect data on wind velocity and direction for one year. The mast of the stations will be put up at a height of 80 metre. The wind data generated for terrains of same height will be applicable to an extent of 10 sq km in radius. A monitoring station would require at least 2 acres. The stay wires for holding the mast of the station requires considerable land. However, the wind farms would require hardly 20 cents, he said.