A shortage of resources is no barrier to talent, and four students from Plus Two High School Dantu in the Kasmar block of Bokaro district have proved exactly that. Poonam Pal, Alok Kumar, Pari Kumari and Bhim Nayak, all from Class 12 science, have together built a smart solar dryer that uses the power of the sun to dry fruits, vegetables, leaves and farm produce quickly and cleanly.
An idea born from a village problem
Alok Kumar, one of the makers, says the idea came to him by watching conditions in his own Dantu village. Many farmers and small vendors here struggle to keep fruits and vegetables fresh. Their produce often spoils because they are forced to dry things out in the open, exposed to dust and dirt.
To find a solution to this very problem, the four friends discussed it among themselves and decided to build a device that could use solar energy to dry produce cleanly and fast. Senior students at the school had earlier built several solar-powered projects, including a solar tree, and that gave the group their inspiration.
How the device works
After months of steady research and experiments, the smart solar dryer was finally ready. It manages the energy and temperature from sunlight to dry fruits, vegetables, chips, herbal leaves and other products in a hygienic way.
Its standout feature is that it is fully automatic. It also lets the temperature be set according to different items. Even when the weather turns bad, it helps keep the produce safe.
Aimed at boosting small farmers' income
Poonam Pal explains that the current model can dry around 5 to 6 kilograms of material at a time. Their goal is to take this technology to the small and marginal farmers of the village.
She added that the leaves of moringa (sahjan), neem and other medicinal plants can be dried and turned into powder. This powder can be sold in the market as ayurvedic products, opening up a new source of income for farmers.
A mix of solar panel and sensor technology
According to Alok Kumar, the smart solar dryer uses a 50-watt solar panel, a box fitted with transparent glass, a sensor, an Arduino, a fan, an LCD display and a keypad. With the help of these technologies, the produce is dried scientifically at a controlled temperature.
School teacher Animesh played an important role in making the project a success. The students also received financial support for this innovation through a fellowship. Building the entire model cost around 11 thousand rupees.
An AI-based model in the works
The students say they want to make the smart solar dryer even more advanced in the future using artificial intelligence (AI), so that it can serve everyone on a larger scale. Even as it stands, this effort by the students is praiseworthy and could prove a big help to farmers.
