IIT Madras takes solar energy to remote parts of India

A Rural Technology Business Incubator of IIT Madras, is now installing 3,026 units in villages located high up in remote corners of Manipur and another 25,000 unit solar inverters and lights in the villages of Assam.

Institute Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, IIT Madras, who leads the research on this technology, said, the Solar-DC system makes the equipment much smaller in size and cost.

“It has helped us in these difficult terrains where carrying anything else would have been difficult. Powering homes with DC power-line reduces power-consumption. Urban and rural Indian homes will be increasingly deployed with solar,” he added.

The Manipur project, taken up at a cost of Rs 11.5 crore, was funded by Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency, he said.

“Installation has been completed in 2,800 homes. Most beneficiaries are situated in remote and inaccessible mountainous regions of Manipur. This project resulted in electrification of 96 villages in places such as of Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Chandel, Phrezawl, Thoubal and Tamenglong,” he said.

The IIT Madras’ 48V DC was made a Standard for Low Voltage Direct Current electrification by the Bureau of Indian Standards and also approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for on-grid and off-grid solar applications.

With Solar-DC solution, people are able to use power for 8 hours with full load and close to 12-14 hours in reserve mode.

The main challenge faced by IIT-Madras is the last mile transportation in remote locations situated at Assam, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir. Educating users to prevent system tampering is another challenge faced by the institution.