This 75-Year-Old Lady In Bengaluru Roast Corn With Solar Energy

Think big start small as they always say. Humans had big dreams with solar power and that dream has been going on for years. However, it appears that solar energy hasn’t been used as widely as expected; so maybe we still lack a small start, which is what we should learn from this old lady. Selvamma, at the age of 75, uses solar power to roast corn.

For the last two decades, she has been roasting corn at the Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru. But rather than a fire blazing, Selvamma has a solar device sitting on her cart. The device was given to her by SELCO, for free. This is a part of the company’s pilot scheme with the aim to create awareness among people about using solar energy. The entire setup is mobile, using coal to restrict the degree of pollution caused.

Although coal is not that friendly to the environment, the first steps are always appreciated.

The setup includes an adjustable DC fan and light fixtures, it runs on a lightweight Li-ion battery. According to Selvamma, she lives nearby the NGO who saw that she had difficulties in roasting corn and decided to gift her with the equipment.

The solar equipment given free to Selvamma has a price tag of Rs 9,000 and has made her job a little more comfortable. Plus, Selvamma is an example to show that anyone can use solar, not only the rich and elite.

In India, the solar energy industry is thriving. As of December 21, 2018, our country has reached 25.21 GW of solar installed capacity. From May 2014 to early January 2018, India’s solar-generation capacity rocketed by eight times, from 2,650 MW to 20 GW. Initially, the Indian government planned to reach the 20 GW capacity by 2022, but we got here four years early.