PROJECT DETAILS

Brief Description

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In rural India, significant challenges persist, including the lack of access to clean drinking water, sanitation, reliable lighting, and clean cooking solutions. Many rural areas suffer from unstable or unavailable grid connections, leading to a heavy reliance on kerosene lamps for lighting and firewood or coal for cooking. This traditional cooking and lighting approach not only contributes to harmful emissions but also poses health hazards for the residents. To address these pressing issues, there's a proposal to innovate an efficient cooking and clean lighting system tailored for rural households.

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The suggested solution revolves around a technology package that combines clean lighting using the next-generation Micro Solar Dome (MSD) and the development of a draft fan integrated with the MSD for efficient cooking. The Micro Solar Dome, a unique lighting device that harnesses both active and passive solar energy, has gained popularity as a national program in India and across Africa. Installed on the roofs of houses, the MSD directs sunlight into homes during the day, charges its built-in battery, and provides illumination during the night. Simultaneously, the project aims to tackle the issue of air pollution stemming from incomplete combustion of firewood or coal for cooking. To ensure complete combustion of fuel and achieve fuel savings, a draft fan mechanism will be developed and connected to the MSD for power supply.

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The modified MSD will accommodate the power requirements of the draft fan, creating an integrated unit that consists of a redesigned MSD, a draft fan for improved cooking, and a USB port integrated with the MSD for mobile phone charging. This integrated approach is poised to address a multitude of problems faced by rural villagers.

One specific case exemplifying this initiative is the village of Nimpith in the Sundarbans region of West Bengal, India. In Nimpith, a lack of grid connections leaves most households reliant on kerosene for lighting and traditional cooking methods using firewood and coal. The National Biogas and Manure Management Center (NBIRT), under the auspices of a project funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, installed around 1000 MSDs in the region in 2017, and these installations remain operational today. Responding to the pressing needs of the villagers, they have requested a technology that can address both their lighting and cooking challenges.

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The objectives of this project are fourfold: to provide clean solar-powered lighting, ensure clean cooking solutions through smokeless stoves, enhance cooking efficiency through the development of a draft fan, and ultimately integrate clean cooking with clean lighting.

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The benefits of this intervention are substantial. It promises reduced indoor pollution, improved physical health for the beneficiaries, and a reduction in recurring costs associated with kerosene and mobile phone charging. The project team believes that this innovative solution will significantly improve living conditions for users and could find a substantial demand in rural markets not only in India but also in other countries facing similar challenges. Furthermore, the initiative envisions training village youth in the repair and maintenance of these systems, offering them a potential source of revenue and empowerment.