Students in some rural areas of Karnataka used to literally burn oil, with no electricity at home. No longer. They can carry a few watts from school. Selco Labs, the innovation and incubation arm of Selco Solar Pvt Ltd, is behind a pilot initiative at some rural schools in the State.

In this, children carry detachable batteries to the school where batteries are charged centrally by a solar panel. Students take back the batteries in the evening and use them to power solar lamps at home.

Dr Anand P. Narayan, Head of Selco Labs at Ujire in Dakshina Kannada district, told Business Line that the “Light for Education” project of Selco is a process innovation in technology.

It is during the night that students do their homework and study, and use of kerosene lamp for more than 30 minutes causes eye irritation. Dr Narayan said a single charge ensures power for eight hours.

The pilot project began with 48 students in Savanalu village of Dakshina Kannada district last year. With around 600 students, the project is now running in 10 schools in different parts of Karnataka. “This year we want to reach out to around 2,000 students in about 50 schools,” he said.

This project will also improve attendance in rural schools as students need to attend class everyday to charge batteries.

Asked about the cost of the lighting system, he said the project was rolled out for free. The total cost of single unit comes to around Rs 2,000. “We suggest the schools charge Rs 200 a student a year. The rest of the amount we are planning to collect from donors,” he said, adding that a minimum fee would ensure the continuation of students in the project.

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