Malakkapara Solar Project
Venue: Vettivitta Kaadu, Malakkapara
Date: 20/04/19
Many rural areas of India have recently started enjoying the luxury of electricity. India, being a very big country, these little areas or states are often ignored and thus getting into development very late. Malakkapara, of the southern state of Tamil Nadu of India is such a locality. Located on the border region between the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Vettivitta Kaadu is a remote village inside the jungle with very little facilities and electricity is not one of the perks they enjoy. The only way to reach the village situated in the Tamil Nadu state is by entering the forest and going on a 5 km hike. The transmission of electricity to the village is not viable as pulling electric transmission lines and installation of electric posts throughout the jungle is not economically and logically possible. IEEE PES SBC MES College of Engineering, Kuttipuram took up the task to bring electricity to the villagers. As a part of the project, PES excom members led by IEEE PES SBC Chairman Aadil Muhammed Mansoor, Nadheer PP ,Chairman IEEE SB MESCE and Muhammed Muneer ,PES volunteer under the assistance of IIT Researcher Dr Dileep G visited the village and checked the possibilities of installing an extensive solar stand alone system to power up the village with electricity . For a start, the students installed a basic solar power system providing enough current to power up two LED bulbs. The villagers who used to spend their nights in the darkness of the jungle or under the mere light of kerosene lamps were thrilled on having the first electrical system in their nativity. The volunteers took data on the number of houses in the locality and planned on installing the system over the whole area in the phase 2 of the Malakkapara solar project. The volunteers supplied the children of the village with chocolates and biscuits as a gesture of goodwill. The project is ongoing with phase 2 also being in the beginning stage.