Ranchi, April 14: Mithilesh Kumar Dangi is all set to unveil what Mohan Bhargav did on silver screen: providing power to rural areas using indigenous and cost-effective methods.

The only difference with Mohan, played by Shah Rukh Khan in Swades, is that Mithilesh would use coal as the source of energy unlike water used by Mohan.

With a doctorate in botany, Mithilesh, in his early 40s, would launch a mini thermal power plant on April 26 at Harli village in Barkagaon sub-division in Hazaribagh.

“It is based on the simple steam engine principle. Coal would be fed to a boiler and with the required temperature and pressure, steam would be used to run the piston which in turn would generate electricity,” he said.

Mithilesh, an activist working to save forests and the environment, revealed he got the idea of running a mini thermal power plant during a 10-year research project with the coal ministry. The plant would cost Rs 1.1 lakh and would be capable of generating 7.5KW or 7,500W — sufficient to burn 375 CFL lamps of 20W each in the entire village.

During daytime, the power generated would be used to run irrigation pumps. Groups of 30 farmers have been formed and each group would run 10HP pumps with the help of thermal power generated locally.

Arrangements have also been made to divert a portion of the power for local use in flour mills, cottage and small-scale industries that are being run at Harli village. The surplus power would be stored in batteries for later use, particularly after dusk, to light up homes.

“Official figures reveal that Rs 4.5 crore is required to generate 1MW of power. However, in my method, the cost would be around Rs 1.35 crore for 1MW, less than one-third the present cost,” said Mithilesh.

Mithilesh claims his system could generate power using coal of any grade, unlike thermal power plants which needed quality grade coal with low ash content.

In fact, the mini thermal plant would not displace a single villager — an issue dogging rural areas earmarked for power projects — as it needed only 100sqft space.

Mithilesh has other ideas too. He is now thinking of asking the coal ministry for a coal mining licence. “We have also sought the help of experts. This expertise would be disseminated to the villagers of Hazaribagh district, which falls under the Coal Bearing Act. The idea is to equip local people — who would form co-operatives — with the expertise to mine coal,” he said.