About Us
Energy Swaraj Foundation (ESF) is a not-for-profit organization committed to addressing the challenge of climate change, aligning with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Founded on the principles articulated by Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki, ESF aims to empower 1 billion people by forging partnerships with organizations, institutions, and government bodies worldwide. Our overarching goal is to combat climate change and promote sustainability.
"
In an ecosystem of finite resources, there must be finite consumption and distributed production.
Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki - Founder, ESF
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 a 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. Solanki believes in practicing 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
Prof. Solanki is a renowned name in renewable energy, especially in the solar sector. He has the following awards to his credit in 20 years of experience in renewable energy. He received his Ph.D. from IMEC (Ketholik University) Leuven, Belgium, a leading R&D and innovation hub in micro- and nano-electronics. He has been awarded with various awards for his innovative thinking, the recent being “Outstanding Green Activist”
1997 Scholarship for postgraduate study
He received a scholarship from 1997 until 1999 from Union Grant Commission to complete his post-graduation study
2019 Jury Choice Award in “Outstanding Green Activist” category
Received 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 IEEE Empowering Billion Lives “Grand Prize” for the Global round
The SoULS Initiative, led by Prof. Solanki, won the $100,000 Grand Prize and a citation at IEEE’s Empowering Billion Lives challenge (Sept 28 - Oct 1, 2019, Baltimore, USA). Competing against 459 teams from 70+ countries, it emerged as the South Asia regional winner and secured the global Grand Prize after evaluation by international experts.
India Book of Records "Largest Demonstration & Assembly of LED Lamps at Multiple Venues on a Single Day" - 2018
A similar event to that of IIT Bombay also took place in every state. The target was to cross 125,000 students, but in turn, 137,000 students were trained all over the country. There were more than 850 schools that participated in the Student Solar Ambassadors Workshop.
2012 Award of Appreciation by Applied Materials
In the year 2012, Prof. Solanki received an Award of Appreciation by Applied Materials for his outstanding contribution for the year 2011-12.
2009 Certificate of Appreciation
He received a certificate of appreciation which was awarded by applied materials for outstanding contribution to Applied Materials sponsored project “Nano Crystals for Photovoltaic Applications”.
2002 2nd best talk award
He received the 2nd best talk award at the 3rd International Conference on Porous Semiconductors Science and Technology, Spain.
2018 Excellence in Renewable Energy Skilling and Startup Award
Received the Renewable Energy (RE) India Award 2018 for “Excellence in RE Skilling” for developing training programs from lamp assembly to solar enterprise development. The startup award recognized Durga Energy, the first all-women-owned and operated solar PV module manufacturing factory.
1999 Scholarship for doctoral study
He received a scholarship for completing his doctoral study from Katholieke University Leuven, Belgium from 1999 to 2004
2015 Award for the best R&D project to NCPRE
In the year 2015, the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) for which Prof. Solanki is the Principle Investigator received the best Research and Development project for the contribution towards technology development and demonstration in solar photovoltaics’, Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States (AREAS), GOI
2010 First Prize given by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
In the year 2010, Prof. Solanki’s authored the book “Akshay Urja Prodhyogiki” (in Hindi) which was awarded the First Prize by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India.
2009 Certificate of appreciation
He received the certification of appreciation for participating in the Essay category in NKC Online Contest by National Knowledge Commission, Govt. of India. 2009 Certificate of appreciation for participating in the Film category in NKC Online Contest by National Knowledge Commission, Govt. of India.
2017 Solar Urja Lamp project implemented in Rajasthan, received the Prime Minister’s Award
The Solar Urja Lamp project that was implemented in one of the most backward districts of India received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration from Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in April-2017 under the innovative project category.
2003 Young Scientist Award
He received the “Young Scientist Award” from the European Material Research Society (EMRS), France in the year 2003
2019 Guinness World Record, titled “Most People Assembling Solar Powered Lamps Simultaneously”
Under the GGSY, Prof. Solanki led the Student Solar Ambassadors Workshop at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Oct 2, 2019. Over 8,000 students assembled solar study lamps, setting a Guinness World Record for “Most People Assembling Solar Powered Lamps Simultaneously.” Ministers Shri R.K. Singh and Shri Prakash Javadekar attended the event.
2018 Best Poster Award in the WCPEC-7, Hawaii, USA, for “Solar Study Lamps target to brighten 1 Million lives: Experimental evidence from the pilot project in India”
The paper "Solar Study Lamps target to brighten 1 Million Lives: Experimental evidence from the pilot project in India" co-authored by Prof. Sokanki got the best poster award at World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-7), in Hawaii, USA.
2018 the Skoch Award in the Environmental Gold Category
Received the highest award (GOLD) in the environment category for the environmentally beneficial impact of the SoULS Initiative. The overall reduction in CO2 emission due to the solar lamp program is more than 140 million tons due to which it was awarded the Skoch Award in the Environmental Gold Category.
2015 Felicitate as “Eminent Engineering Personality”
Awarded as the “Eminent Engineering Personality” by the Institution of Engineers, Bhopal IN 2015
2010 Best poster award in IEEE PVSC 2010, Hawaii, USA
He received the best poster award in the IEEE PVSC 2010 for the paper that he co-authored, titled, “Strategies to target solar PV market in developing countries: A perspective”
2009 Best poster award
He received the best poster award in the 18th PV Science and Engineering (PVSEC) conference for the paper titled Electrical Characterization of Si QD/SiNx multi-layers prepared using HWCVD in the category of Photovoltaic with nano-composites and other new concepts, Kolkata.
2019 Guinness World Record, titled “Largest Environmental Sustainability Lesson”
At the mega culmination event on Oct 2, 2019, at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Prof. Solanki highlighted the importance of mitigating climate change through solar energy. Over 8,000 students assembled solar study lamps, setting a Guinness World Record for the “Largest Environmental Sustainability Lesson,” with 5 lakh students participating globally from 54 countries.
2018 Guinness World Record, titled “Most LED Lights lit simultaneously”
More than 5700 students came to IIT Bombay on 2nd Oct. 2018 to participate in the Student Solar Ambassadors Workshop and assemble their own solar study lamps under the training provided by the student volunteers of IIT Bombay. The training happened in 88 venues and the event saw the students lighting their own assembled lamp during the dark.
2018 First prize in Solar Chulha Challenge conducted by ONGC
Prof. Solanki's team won the first prize in ONGC’s Solar Chulha Challenge, receiving Rs. 10 lakh and support to produce 1,000 solar chulhas. After four screening rounds, six teams reached the finals, where the solar chulha, led by Prof. Solanki, was declared the winner by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
2012 Best poster award in IEEE PVSC 2012, Austin, USA
The paper titled “Teach 1 1000 teachers – A methodology for the rapid ramp-up of photovoltaics manpower required for India’s National Solar Mission”, which was co-authored by Prof. Solanki received the nest poster award in the IEEE PVSC in Austin, USA
2009 Young Investigator Award of IIT Bombay for 2009
He received the Young Investigator Award of IIT Bombay in the year 2009
2008 2nd best poster award
Awarded the 2nd best poster award for the poster titled in Nano-sized Si particle with Porous Si film using ultrasonication, NCETPEGU, IIT Kanpur.
Books
He has authored 5 books. One of his books titled, ‘Renewable Energy Technologies—A Practical Guide for Beginners’ (Hindi) got the first prize from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Govt. of India in 2011.
Renewable Energy Technologies
A practical guide for beginners” (in HINDI) Prentice Hall of India, April 2009.
Solar Photovoltaics
A Lab Training Manual, Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd., 2013 (ISBN: 978-93-8226-459-0), co-authored by B.M. Arora, J. Vasi and M. B. Patil
Energy Swaraj
My Experiments with SOLAR Truth, Publisher- Notion Press, 2019, ISBN 1646509463, 9781646509461, 254 pages
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.
Renewable Energy Technologies
A practical guide for beginners” published by Prentice Hall of India, 2007 (ISBN: 978-81-203-4386-3), 154 pages.
Solar Photovoltaic Technology & Systems
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
Articles
“Does involvement of local community ensure sustained energy access? A critical review of a solar PV technology intervention in rural India” (2019) World Development
The solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies offer a sustainable solution to energy-poor communities. Adoption and sustained use of solar PV merit participation of local communities in planning and implementation. The literature on off-grid solar PV interventions that do not take the approach of involving communities point towards the difficulties experienced in reaching the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) communities as wells as in supply chain and after-sales service.…
“Correlating infrared thermography with electrical degradation of PV modules inspected in all-india survey of photovoltaic module reliability” (2018) IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
Degradation in electrical performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules is related to the degradation of the solar cells and laminate materials in the modules, which often shows up as hot spots in infrared (IR) thermography. The analysis of the IR data of crystalline silicon modules inspected in the field during the All India Survey of Photovoltaic Module Reliability in 2016 is being presented in this paper, along with its correlation to the electrical degradation in these modules…
“Localization-affordability-
saturation for speedy distribution of solar study lamps to millions” (2018) Current Science
Millions of rural households in India lack access to clean basic lighting which hampers the ability of children to study during dark hours. Over 81 million students are likely to be dependent on kerosene lamps for basic lighting. Despite programmes focusing on disseminating solar lanterns since the last three decades, penetration is limited owing to three main barriers: affordability, absence of after-sales services and unavailability in rural markets. …
“Addressing Energy
Poverty in India: A systems perspective on the role of localization, affordability, and
saturation in implementing solar technologies” (2018) Energy Research and Social
Science
Decentralized solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have emerged as an option in unelectrified rural areas for clean lighting and reduced kerosene use. Despite benefits, there are significant barriers to implement and sustain solar PV systems because of inadequate understanding of the feedback between adoption, diffusion, and implementation processes in resource poor communities of low and middle income countries...
“Do solar study lamps help children study at night? Evidence from rural India” (2019) Energy for Sustainable Development
Lack of adequate and consistent lighting has a detrimental impact on the overall well-being of poor households in India. For school-going children in these households, this challenge has contributed to issues such as difficulty in studying after dark, reduced performance in schools, increased dropout from school due to poor educational outcomes, and exposure to pernicious emissions from predominantly kerosene-burning wick lamps…
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”.
SoULS Initiative
Based on these identified reasons, the SoULS initiative has evolved the ‘Localization-Affordability-Saturation (LAS)’ model to provide clean energy solutions to rural communities to make them self -sufficient
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
kWattSolutions
Successfully incubated a company called kWatt Solutions Private Limited in Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) of IIT Bombay. The company provides integrated renewable energy solutions for power requirement in the range of few kW to several kW (www.kwattsolutions.com )
Localization of Solar Energy Through Local Assembly, Sale and Usage of 1 Million Solar Study Lamps
The project “Localization of Solar Energy through Local Assembly, Sale and Usage of 1 Million Solar Urja Lamps (SoUL)” aims to empower populations in underserved communities, through high-quality programs that meet their real needs to improve the quality of their lives.
Education Park
Founder member of Education Park (www.edupark.org), an organization that is working to provide high-quality education and training at an affordable cost in rural areas. This school is completely run by solar energy
National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE)
The National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) at IIT Bombay was launched in 2010 with funding from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of the Government of India of which Prof. Solanki is Principle Investigator
ROSE
Founder member of ROSE (Rose an Organization for Supporting Education, (www.rosevzw.org). The organization is registered in Belgium.
Make #EnergySwaraj a Way of Life!
contact Us
ESF socials
Copyright © 2024 Energy Swaraj Foundation