The National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC) has come up with a solution to beat the soaring LPG price that typically leaves a huge hole in the pocket. The researchers at the Electrical Engineering (EE) Department have developed the 'Smart Solar Stove' and claim it to be user-friendly with zero running cost, besides several other advantages.
According to Karthikeyan V, Assistant Professor in the EE Department, who designed and developed the solar stove, the product has been validated. "It has been tested in domestic houses and roadside eateries to check its practical feasibility. It is working fine and now we are ready to launch it in the market. We had tested it for two months in two houses and the result was overwhelming," Karthikeyan told TNIE. He says that the customer need not depend on conventional LPG gas at all and a family could save approximately Rs 12,000 per year through the 'Smart Solar Stove'.
There are two models of the solar stove. In the first, the single and double stove products can be used directly under the sun without any electric supply. It is well suited for domestic cooking. "The roadside eatery can make use of this product, keeping the solar panel just above the roof of their eatery. This product has a provision to connect an LED lamp for getting sufficient illumination so that the vendors can extend their business operating hours during the night," explained Karthikeyan.
The overall cost for the single stove with solar panel is around Rs 10,000 and for the double stove, the cost is around Rs 15,000. In the second model, a battery can also be included with the control unit for extending the cooking time during non-sunlight hours. During the non-sunlight hours, even if the battery becomes empty, the product automatically switches over to conventional power supply. The second model will cost a maximum of Rs 15,000 more based on the type of battery it is using.
NITC Director Prof Prasad Krishna launched the product at the NITC Campus on Tuesday, April 5. "This stove is smokeless, there is no exhaust gas and it does not produce carbon monoxide," added Karthikeyan. The project is funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, and is mentored by Prof Ashok S, Chairman of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, NITC. NITC is waiting for companies to take over the product to make it available in the market.
