Solar DC Inverterless Technology, pioneered by Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) Researchers, is lighting up homes in remote parts of the country where the terrain is so foreboding that they are beyond the reach of electricity grids. Cygni Energy Private Limited, an innovative Solar-DC solutions startup that was incubated by the Rural Technology Business Incubator (RTBI) of IIT-M, 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.
Speaking about the importance of this project, Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, who leads the research on this technology, said, “It is of great importance that we have played a major role in taking power to remote villages in Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, and Jammu & Kashmir. Solar-DC system makes the equipment much smaller in size and cost. It has helped us in these difficult terrains were 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 Indian 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. This project resulted in the electrification of 96 villages in places such as of Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Chandel, Phrezawl, Thoubal, and Tamenglong.
