Made with LevoAbout Founder
In an ecosystem of finite resources, there must be finite consumption and distributed production.
Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki : the Solar Man Of India
A renowned solar scientist, a professor of IIT Bombay, Dr. Solanki has been referred to as “Solar Man of India” by Times of India, The Hindu and India Today. Some people also call him “Solar Gandhi”. Known for his remarkable work in the field of Solar, he is an educator, innovator, researcher, author and and loves to talk about the philosophy of life. He is the author of 8 books and over 100 research papers. Following Gandhian ideals, he has coined the word ‘Energy Swaraj’. His Energy Swaraj Movement is a stepping stone towards energy access, energy sustainability, and climate change mitigation. Currently he is on an 11 years long Energy Swaraj Yatra through a solar bus to bring awareness about climate change to masses and encourage them to switch towards 100% solar powered life. During this 11 years of yatra he has pledged to live on a bus and not go home until the goal is achieved. Prof. is Solanki believes in practising yoga, breathing exercises and meditation for physical and mental well-being as a teacher of Art of Living.
Journey So Far
Birth
21st May 1975 - Born Prof. Solanki was born in a small village called Nemit in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.
School
His primary school had just one classroom and a teacher at that time. Having studied in the light of the kerosene lamp himself, Prof. Solanki is now committed to providing clean light and clean energy to all.
Graduation
1993-1997 : He did Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Electronics and Telecommunication from S.G.S Institute of Science and Technology, Indore, India 2. 1997-1999 - He did Master in Technology (M Tech) in Microelectronics from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India
Job
He was also associated with Texas Instruments India Ltd. Bangalore between Feb-Sept. 1999 as an ASIC chip designer.
Studying abroad
He received his Ph.D. from Interuniversity Micro-Electronics Centre (IMEC), Leuven, Belgium in 2004, a leading R&D and innovation hub in micro and nano-electronics.
Coming back to India, 2004
He had led major solar projects as Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay including the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), which is one of the leading research centres in India and the Solar Urja through Localization for Sustainability (SoULS) Initiative which through its clean light initiative has reached 8.5 million families.
Awards
2019 Jury Choice Award in “Outstanding Green Activist” category
AReceived award as “Outstanding Green Activist” for GGSY and SoULS Initiative for contribution in green energy sector from which community at large has benefited. The award function was graced by the presence of "Chief Guest" Sh. Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog and hosted by Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE)
2019 Guinness World Record, titled “Most People Assembling Solar Powered Lamps Simultaneously”
As a part of the GGSY, Prof. Solanki led the Student Solar Ambassadors Workshop, at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, wherein over 8,000 students came together to assemble their own solar study lamps on 2nd Oct. 2019. This event was a Guinness world record event, titled “Most People Assembling Solar Powered Lamps Simultaneously.” Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri. R.K. Singh and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Information and Broadcasting, Shri. Prakash Javadekar witnessed the students assembling and lighting their lamps.
2019 Guinness World Record, titled “Largest Environmental Sustainability Lesson”
Prof. Solanki explained the relevance of mitigating climate change and the importance of switching towards solar energy at the mega culmination event at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, wherein over 8,000 students from various schools came together to assemble their own solar study lamps on 2nd Oct. 2019. This lesson facilitated by Prof. Solanki resulted in the Guinness World Record, titled “Largest Environmental Sustainability Lesson.” The event saw the participation of 5 lakh students across 54 countries.
Books
Solar Photovoltaics
Fundamental, technologies and applications, 3rd Edition published by Prentice Hall of India, 2015 (ISBN -978-81-203-5111-0), 506 pages. 1st Edition was published in 2009, 2nd Edition was published in 2011.
Solar Photovoltaic Systems and Technologies
A manual for Technicians, Trainers, and Engineers, published by Prentice Hall of India, 2013 (ISBN: 978-81-203-4711-3), 320 pages. Book is translated in Hindi, Gujrati, Marathi, Malayalam, and Tamil
Initiatives:
Energy Swaraj Foundation
The Energy Swaraj Foundation (ESF, www.energyswaraj.org) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental, non-religious company, formed to establish Energy Swaraj across the world. The motto of the ESF is “Energy by Locals for Locals”.
Gandhi Global Solar Yatra
Prof. Solanki undertook Gandhi Global Solar Yatra to propagate the concept of Energy Swaraj wherein the local communities generate and consume their own energy needs. The yatra culminated with the Student Solar Ambassadors Workshop
"In the Times of Mahatma Gandi the Chakra beacme a symbol of change and in the times ofClimate Chnagethreat, this solar lamp(SoUL) Program of Chatan will become a Symbol Of Change"
Make #EnergySwaraj a Way of Life!
