IIT-Madras solar DC tech to light up villages

Chennai: The remote places in Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam that are beyond the reach of electricity grids will soon to get electricity thanks to the Solar DC technology pioneered by IIT Madras.

Cygni Energy Private Limited, an innovative Solar-DC solutions startup that was incubated at IIT Madras is now installing 3,026 units in villages located high up in remote corners of Manipur and another 25,000 units solar inverters and lights in the villages of Assam.

Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala from IIT Madras who lead the research on this technology said, “We have played a major role in taking power to remote villages in Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir. Solar-DC system makes the equipment much smaller in size and cost.”

He further said, “It has helped us in these difficult terrains where carrying anything would have been difficult. Powering homes with DC power-line reduces the power-consumption and would be increasingly deployed with solar in urban and rural India homes.”

The Manipur Project, taken up at a cost of Rs.11.5 crore, was funded by Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency. The installation has been completed in 2,800 Homes.  Most Beneficiaries are situated in remote, inaccessible mountainous regions of Manipur.

Cygni Energy Private Limited has set the target on 100 per cent electrification of rural households.

 “We have set our target on 100 per cent electrification of rural households. Our Solar-DC inverterless product is a unique, disruptive product that is bringing about a paradigm shift in the way energy is generated and consumed,” said Venkat Rajaraman, the CEO, Cygni Energy Private Limited.

With Solar-DC solution, people can use power for 8 hours to full load and close to 12-14 hours in reserve mode with only basic appliances like the bulb and mobile chargers.