Student entrepreneur Bhupesh Sharma (22) is a young man in a hurry to make his mark in the business world. An electrical and telecom engineering graduate of the University of Mumbai, Sharma has trained his sights on addressing India’s chronic energy deficiency problem. His two-year-old startup Breson — a partnership firm — designs and manufactures customised power generation windmills for rural and urban environments. “Although the idea of generating electricity by harnessing wind power is not new, conventional wind turbine technology has so far been out of the reach of residential and commercial consumers. I plan to reach consumers directly with smaller customised windmills which will generate electricity for residential homes and business offices,” says Sharma, currently a business design student at the Bangalore campus of the Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research.

According to Sharma, Breson manufactures light, compact and affordably priced windmills which can easily be installed on rooftops and in open spaces to generate electricity at wind speeds as low as 4.5 km per second. “The smallest unit we manufacture is a 500-watt turbine which can meet the electricity needs of a seven-storey building for 12 hours daily. This makes wind power cheaper than even solar energy. A 500-watt turbine is priced at Rs.1.5 lakh,” says Sharma.

Started in a one-room tenement in 2010, today Breson boasts a research and development wing in Thane (Maharashtra) where a dedicated 17-member team works under his supervision. “Over the years we have grown at a steady pace focusing more on the technical front rather than on sales. Now, we will expand our production from the present four-five units per year to 35-40 units in a new production facility under construction in Navi Mumbai, to meet the rising demand for our products,” he adds.

Looking ahead, Sharma believes Breson’s affordable wind power units will help electricity-deprived farmers and people living in rural India to light up their homes. Recently, Breson has installed windmills in Jyotirao Phule Education Trust, a school for tribal children and orphans in Amli, a small village in Dhule district, Maharashtra. “Our turbines can be used for rural electrification as well as for improving irrigation systems and offer the additional advantage of clean, green energy,” says Sharma.

Wind in your turbines!

Praveer Sinha (Mumbai)

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