At a recent event to promote 'upcycling', the city saw an array of projects made by people of all age groups. One that seemed like a show stopper was the solar power bank. Meet its make...r
During the last decade, there has been much awareness within the reduce, reuse, recycle space, something that is clearly the need of the hour. Especially during the last few years, there has been a growing trend in implementing the concept of 'upcycling', which is literally defined as 'The process of transforming byproducts, waste material, useless unwanted products into new materials or products for better environmental value.'
At a recent event called the 'Kabaad Mela' at Phoenix Marketcity, Mumbai, functional yet interesting projects were showcased; the best entries were chosen as part of a competition held by Proinnovate, a company that clubs innovation with education. Among various objects on display were a Polygenic raincoat (using waste plastic bags), paper lamps (using waste newspapers), cupative lantern (using discarded glass cups) among many others.
However, the one that caught our attention was the solar power bank.
Designed by 26-year-old architect Ankush Tripathi, this solar power bank was made using discarded waste from objects. He elucidates, "I used a 5-watt solar panel and 6V (5 Amp) battery for the functioning of this model. But the base on which these are placed, is made from waste material--the solar panel frame and socket fittings are made from waste photo frame board and PVC barrel drum; while retractable stand is made from waste selfie sticks.
Even the screws used in this model is made from waste screws." Though this idea took seed since April this year, it took him around 10 days to assemble it for the competition.
So, what motivated him to create this model? "I come from a small village in Allahabad where there are regular power cuts; and so charging my gadgets is a huge issue for me when I visit my parents. Which is how I thought of this- a concept of a sustainable source of energy that can be harnessed in most of the parts of Indian terrain, especially rural India." He explains that since India is a tropical country, there's abundance of natural solar energy for at least 300 days a year. Being a developing country, he feels India has to be innovating in ways that can help the problem of energy and waste management.
This solar power bank can be used year-round with minimal maintenance, and is designed to deliver the basic power needed for a family of four. Currently, this model has a USB port to charge phones and also has a reading light attached. Tripathi plans to work further and add two extra lights, sockets to charge laptops and a provision to attach portable speakers. He also has plans to patent is idea. He concludes, "I am still working on the model and I plan to make it customisable so that it becomes convenient for people in rural areas. I also hope that the government supports such solar energy models more, as it helps take care of energy consumption and the waste generated."
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