Odisha Gets First Solar Tree Courtesy ITI Berhampur

The principal of Berhampur Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in the Ganjam district of Odisha has said that the students of the institute have developed a solar tree which is currently installed inside the ITI campus.

Principal Rajat Panigrahy informed that the construction of the solar tree is just like a tree where the solar panels are connected over the branches made up of metals that catch sun rays to generate power. The solar tree is of 2 KW capacity. The key reason behind development of the solar tree is that it eliminates the challenges of space crunch in the solar power industry. The very nature of the ITI solar tree structure consumes less space and can be placed anywhere near a building.

The principal said the tree has been designed in such a way that each solar panel has the maximum exposure to sunlight. The solar tree is 12-feet of height and employs 12 solar panels. He also added that the solar tree is flexible and rotates to face the sun. This helps in capturing maximum sunlight and producing maximum amount of electricity.

The students took just five days to develop the entire solar tree with the help of the teachers and the entire installation would cost about Rs 2 lakh. “Though the concept of the solar tree was not new, the ITI Berhampur has developed it for the first time in the state,” said Panigrahy. He also said that ITI Berhampur also now has a workshop within the campus that could repair solar panels and other articles related with the solar industry.

In March, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) developed the world’s ‘largest solar tree’ using 160 PV panels, having a capacity of 53.6 kW and covering an area of 28 square meters.

Also, in a bid to promote the usage of solar energy, in February, IIT Bhubaneswar delivered state-of-art solar pumps that are not just economical, but also with added mobility features to support farmers to irrigate their fields at distant locations.