Solar DC Inverterless Technology, pioneered by researchers at Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M), is lighting up homes in remote parts of the country which 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 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.
Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Institute Professor, IIT Madras speaking about the importance of this Project, said, “It is of great importance that we have played major a role in taking power to remote villages in Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya and J&K. Solar-DC system makes the equipment much smaller in size and cost.” He added “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. Installation has been completed in 2,800 Homes. Most Beneficiaries are situated in remote, inaccessible mountainous regions of Manipur. This project resulted in electrification of 96 villages in places such as of Senapati, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Chandel, Phrezawl, Thoubal and Tamenglong.
“In 2018, India achieved its dream of electrifying every village and we are privileged to be a part of this challenging effort. Now, 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. Our 48V DC was made a Standard for Low Voltage Direct Current (LVDC) electrification by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and also approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, for on-grid and off-grid solar applications,”said Venkat Rajaraman, CEO, Cygni Energy Private Limited.
IIT Madras worked closely with Cygni to develop Inverterless technology. This product was built ground up with high efficiency and affordability in mind.
The said technology uses DC solutions to remove alternate current (AC) to DC and DC to AC conversions. Removing the need of conversion helps in saving 30% to 40% of energy
Out of the 44,854 total installations planned, 30,828 have been completed so far.