Solar Lamps for Rural Children

 Context :- 

Around 5.4 lakh school students of underserved communities in the state have been provided with solar study lamps and another 2.6 lakh are likely to get it soon under a central scheme powered by the Union ministry of new and renewable energy.Students in rural areas are no more dependent on kerosene lamps and are getting the benefit of solar energy which is cheap and eco-friendly for continuing their studies.Though the cost of each lamp is Rs 600, school students were being given those at a subsided rate of Rs 100 each

IIT Bombay and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), which are implementing the project in Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha, have also trained 2,500 women in assembling and repairing the lamps at the local level. Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) is also associated with the project at the state level.Around 60 women who have been trained to assemble and repair the lamps will soon open S-Mart or solar shops that will create awareness about the use of solar energy besides selling solar equipment.

Solar Lamps :- 

A solar lamp also known as solar light or solar lantern, is a lighting system composed of an LED lamp, solar panels, battery, charge controller and there may also be an inverter. The lamp operates on electricity from batteries, charged through the use of solar photovoltaic panel.

Solar-powered household lighting can replace other light sources like candles or kerosene lamps. Solar lamps have a lower operating cost than kerosene lamps because renewable energy from the sun is free, unlike fuel. In addition, solar lamps produce no indoor air pollution unlike kerosene lamps. However, solar lamps generally have a higher initial cost, and are weather dependent.

Solar lamps for use in rural situations often have the capability of providing a supply of electricity for other devices, such as for charging cell phones.LED lights are used due to their high luminous efficiency and long life. Under the control of a DC charge controller, non-contact control automatically turns on the light at dark and switches off at daytime. It sometimes also combines with time controllers to set curtain time for it to automatically switch light on and off

By: Shashank Shekhar