Whistle While You Work: Weavers enabled to generate electricity

Sometimes, when I'm grumbling about my lot in life (not this blog or it's loyal and long-suffering readers) a story like this comes along.

(char·kha also char·ka n. A spinning wheel used in India for spinning cotton. [Hindi carkh, from Persian charkha, diminutive of charkh, wheel, from Old Persian *carka-; see k^wel-¹ in Indo-European roots.])

From DailyIndia:

Weavers will now be able to spin and also generate their own electricity with the help of 'E-charka', which will be launched by President Pratibha Patil on November 19. As the wheel produces yarn, its motion is converted into electricity making use of a three-phase A/C generator which in turn is connected to lead acid batteries.

Operation of the charka for four hours can generate electricity to operate a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) light and play a radio for over seven hours.

...It took two years to develop the cost effective-eco friendly charka with a dynamo that reduces 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

...Over 1.2 million rural folk in India spin charka to earn their daily bread....MORE