International Partner: Henri Bittel, EPFL, Switzerland
Amrita Partner(s) : Savitha Krishna Uppaluri, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Village : Mothakara, Kerala
Project Duration : 2 months
Identified Challenge & Aim :
Many villages in India do not have access to electricity. Villages that do have access receive power intermittently and with frequent disruption, making the supply of electricity unreliable. While government projects and initiatives have come a long way to address the massive challenge of complete rural electrification, a more localized and sustainable solution is warranted.
The Study/Innovation :
The team conducted a survey to understand social, cultural, economic, political, environmental, and technological factors and features in the village. They also went around the village and made a resource map. This gave the team a clear picture of the sustainable resources available in the village and helped the team understand the quantity of the resources available. This was subsequently followed by field tests for a micro-controller-based monitoring system to measure the electrical parameters of a solar-powered micro-grid in the village. The village has 42 houses that have been divided into six clusters, with each cluster of houses having a microgrid. Finally, the team installed two micro-controller-based monitoring devices in two of the six microgrids and focused on monitoring the grids for proper function and reliability. The team also studied consumption rates over a period of time. This will subsequently help determine the changes and modifications that will need to be made while designing and installing the next micro-grid in another village
