Solar-power wizard has solutions to all your electricity woes

Even as Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is struggling to keep your homes well-lit, here is a entrepreneur who has come up with ideas that could just be the solution to your power woes.

RS Hiremath, CEO, Flexitron, a research and development company specialising in cheap solutions for power problems, said: “We are always complaining about how Bescom is not providing sufficient power to us. But, we have to be more judicious while using power. It’s only when we become more responsible citizens that we can blame the system.”

Cellphone chargers, solar cookers, solar lighting solutions for kitchen and reading, solar fans and even solar-powered mosquito repellents — name it and Hiremath has it for you. He said, “I am an electronics geek and have been working on solutions for the power crisis for many years now.”

Necessity is the mother of all invention. For Hiremath, this mantra has worked best. “My idea was to bring solar energy to people. But per unit cost of solar energy is Rs25 today; I want to bring it down,” he said.

Speaking about his innovative products, he said, “We use cellphones, which we need to charge. With four-hour power cuts, it sometimes becomes difficult to manage. This innovative charger has a pedal, which can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy when rotated. Every minute of rotation gives three minutes of power,” he explained.

He has specially designed two products for homemakers. “One is the solar cooker and the other is kitchen light. Although solar cookers takes a little more time than an electric or regular cookers, they are eco-friendly. They do not use LPG or power. It takes 40 minutes to cook vegetables and rice,” he explained. The kitchen lights emit just enough light for your kitchen. “Power cuts in the evening make it difficult for women to prepare dinner. With this, if charged during the day, there’ll be light for 15 hours straight,” he said.

Not just that, Hiremath has something to beat the heat too. “Fans that work on solar-powered batteries, which can be charged in the sun, are also a hit. The fan can provide four hours of uninterrupted breeze, without making noise. The sound and velocity are matched and will not give you a headache if used continuously for four hours,” he explained.

Sensor lights, which can be placed in corridors leading to the restrooms, is also his othre innovation. “These are called ‘preferred, but not essential’ lights. When you want to use the sink and there is not light, this can sense your presence and light up,” he said.

With load-shedding during peak hours, this is perhaps the most innovative solution that takes the cake. “With a solar-powered water heater, you can heat up to half-a-bucket of water with a small solar panel. It takes about 20 minutes,” he said.
With innovative thinking, Hiremath has made life easy for many.

How about a hearing aid, that doesn’t need charging for nine hours straight? “This was made for people low on hearing. People in remote areas like villages find it hard to get batteries, so I made something that just needs to be in the sun for a few hours to be charged,” he said.

There’s more in the kitty — solar radio and talking thermometer for the blind. These are affordable, priced at `100 to `150,” he said. “The radio is meant mainly for farmers who can keep it on at while working at the farm,” he said.