IIT-B Bags Top Prize in ONGC's Solar Chulha Competition

A team from IIT-Bombay (IIT-B) has won the ONGC Solar Chulha Challenge, claiming the prize money of Rs. 10 lakhs.

The challenge is aimed at developing cost effective and efficient solar power stove (chulha) systems in line with the vision of the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to touch poor lives by providing them safe and low cost alternatives for clean cooking.

IIT-B’s submission titled ‘Design and development of Solar PV powered electric stove for domestic application’ was chosen by an expert panel of scientists headed by Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, as the best submission amongst over 1,500 applications received by ONGC. Their cooking solution is named as ‘Solar Intelligent Cookstove with Storage’ (or SIX stove).

BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore were placed second, winning a prize money of Rs. 5 lakhs, while the team from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, claimed third place, earning a prize of Rs. 3 lakhs. Participants from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Smith Innovative Appliances Pvt. Ltd. were awarded Certificate of Appreciation and cash incentive of Rs. 1 lakh each.

The challenge had received an overwhelming response with over 1,500 applications. An expert panel of scientists & industry experts headed by Dr. Kakodkar evaluated the applications. Thirteen were shortlisted by the panel during their first meeting on January 6, 2018. These teams were then invited to present their proposals to the Expert Panel during its second meeting on February 24, 2018 at Mumbai, after which the panel selected the finalists.

To promote this national endeavour, ONGC may also provide monetary support to manufacture about 1,000 units and procure these for demonstration in different regions across the nation, through its Rs. 100-crore ONGC Startup Fund aimed at fostering, nurturing new ideas related to the energy sector.

Cleaner cooking

Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship attended the ‘ONGC Solar Chulha Challenge’ exhibition.

This is the first-of-its-kind initiative taken up by any corporate to promote solar chulha in order to reach out to the last mile of the society. The genesis of the challenge lay in the Prime Minister’s call to ONGC to foster the development of efficient electric chulha that can provide a smoke-free kitchen, while inaugurating ONGC’s Corporate Office in September 2017. “This innovation would significantly impact the nation’s dependence on imported fuel in one stroke”, the PM had said.

Five teams, representing both aca-demia and industry, displayed their functional solar chulha prototypes in the exhibition. Mr. Pradhan visited the stall and interacted with the participants to understand the technology and showed keen interest in the innovations.

After the visit, the minister held a detailed review of the initiative to transform it into a nation-wide movement. “Efforts should be made to improvise the technology further and make it available at affordable cost,” he said.