ITI students design solar tree to generate 1 kw energy

Berhampur: The government-run Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Berhampur, students have designed and fabricated a solar tree which requires minimum space and can be installed anywhere. The students of fitter/electrician have worked on it. The solar tree, with 12 panels, can generate one kw energy which can be extended upto two KW with big panels. Its cost is about Rs 3.5 lakh.

Dr Rajat Kumar Panigrahy, principal, said a PV module required 10-12 acres, but the solar tree requires only 0.10 to 0.12 acre. Solar trees are the best innovative way to produce energy efficiently. No pollution is generated. Electricity can be accessed in rural areas. Solar trees are flexible and can rotate to face the sun and produce the maximum possible amount of renewable energy, he said. Students can learn a new concept to convert solar energy to renewable energy and teamwork, integration of skills in various sectors like welding sheet metal, he said.

"We have installed solar tree at the largest open air scrap park on the ITI premises. The solar tree is equipped with 12 solar panels. "But we are planning to design a solar tree with 48 panels which can generate 4 KW energy."

Solar trees are easy to install anywhere, including hilltops, paddy fields and other places. The conventional solar panels were installed horizontally on a much spacious place slightly tilted towards the direction of the sun according to the longitude calculations of the particular area. But in the case of solar trees, very limited space is required. They also look beautiful.

Panigrahy said, "All we need to install solar panels is based on optimum tilt angle calculated by adding 15 degrees to the latitude of the area during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from that latitude duringsummer. For instance, in Berhampur the latitude is 19° N, the optimum tilt angle for Berhampur solar panels during winter will be 19+15= 34°."

"We want to make the public 20 to 30 percent energy literate. The more power you save, you can generate it," he said.