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IIT-Madras Project PILOT to Eliminate Load-Shedding Forever |
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IIT-Madras heads to eliminate “blackout”
A new project namely PILOT is about to be started by IIT-Madras to get rid of load-shedding. The project will cover a few hundred dwellings in the southern region.
The project aims to provide uninterrupted power supply to every house in India using which a mobile charger, two fans, and three lights could work.
The project has been initiated by professor of electrical engineering at IIT-M Ashok Jhunjhunwala and the Director of IIT-M Bhaskar Ramamurti. “It is a simple idea but it required some thought and engineering,” said Ramamurti.
The process of generating electricity in this project is just the practical application of a simple idea. Every sub-station will supply a low-power DC line into all the houses. A separate meter will receive the energy and pass it further to the devices attached.
For the project to work at individual houses, every household will have to install a device at their place which will cost around Rs 1,000.
The Central human resources along with IIT-M and four electricity boards of south India are a part of the project. A memorandum of understanding has been signed by IIT-M with states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, a committee has been formed by the Centre for this project. The former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar heads the committee.
The small initiative of the institute may turn big if the power ministry of India expands its application to the whole country.
The former power secretary P Umashankar said, “It is a critical pilot project. I see this as a game-changer for the country.”
