Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki, who is currently on unpaid leave from IIT Bombay, has undertaken Energy Swaraj Yatra from Nov. 2020 through a solar bus for 11 years until 2030.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atma Nirbhar and Vocal for Local philosophy, Dr Chetan Singh Solanki, a professor from IIT Bombay, brand ambassador of Solar Energy for Govt. of MP, and Founder of the Energy Swaraj Foundation, has pledged not to go home until 2030 and live & travel in the solar bus.
Dr C S Solanki was in Bengaluru to visit various schools and colleges for interacting with students to create awareness of his mission. He invited journalists inside the bus and demonstrated the facilities to go through all daily activities.
The Energy Swaraj Yatra bus is fitted with 3.2 kW solar panels and 6 kWh battery storage. It has a 3 kVa inverter. Lights, cooler, cook stove, TV, AC, laptop charging inside the bus are all solar-powered.
Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki, who is currently on unpaid leave from IIT Bombay, has undertaken Energy Swaraj Yatra from Nov. 2020 through a solar bus for 11 years until 2030.
In the wake of serious and catastrophic climate change, this Energy Swaraj Yatra is designed with the purpose of creating a public movement toward the adoption of 100 pc solar energy.
During the yatra, he talks to people about the philosophical, technical, economic, social, and environmental aspects of energy and climate change, along with a demonstration of the Energy Swaraj bus having facilities for working, meeting, sleeping, cooking, washing, and training.
Energy Swaraj Yatra is an 11-year commitment made by Professor Chetan Singh Solanki and the Energy Swaraj Foundation's team to bring a philosophical understanding and practical acceptance in society at large to adopt solar solutions in a disciplined manner for fulfilling 100 pc energy needs. The purpose of the yatra is to bring large-scale actionable awareness through training and demonstration through the solar bus.
During the span of the entire 11 years, Prof. Solanki will be living in the solar bus itself. His family members can stay with him from time to time.
The yatra, as expected, will be the seed for creating a public movement for the adoption of solar energy solutions on a very large scale, sufficient to mitigate climate change.
The Energy Swaraj Yatra was flagged-off by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on November 26, 2020. To date, the Energy Swaraj Yatra has been travelling for 473 days, covering almost 9,000 km and reaching 46,000 people. The yatra is expected to cover about 200,000 km across 28 Indian States, over 5000 talks, over 1000 exhibitions, basic training of 100,000 people, and planting of 100,000 saplings. During 11 years, the yatra will criss-cross the country about 8 to 10 times.
He says that the solution lies in adopting Energy Swaraj or generating and consuming energy locally. Adopting Energy Swaraj will also help in skill development, livelihood creation, energy independence, local economy strengthening, and climate change mitigation.
