Solar Iron Press based on Direct Thermal Heating for Rural Areas- a Step towards Atama Nirbhar Bharat | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

ABSTRACT

In the 21st century, with the advancement in technology, the amount of fossil fuel burned has increased rapidly. In India 61% of the grid electricity is produced from coal-based thermal power plants, 9% is produced from natural gases, 2% from nuclear energy, and the remaining 28% is harvested from the renewable source of energy which includes hydropower (15%), solar PV (8%), and wind energy (5%), etc. Constant attempts are being made to shift towards sustainable energy sources from conventional sources of energy. Already many household appliances such as water heaters, pressure cookers, table fans, flashlights, etc; are converted into solar-based appliances. One such appliance which is found in almost every household is the Iron press. There are different categories of iron presses such as electric iron, coal-fired iron, and gas-fired iron, all are dependent upon non-renewable sources of energy. Except for electric iron press, others give rise to carbon emissions in the environment. Also, in India, many such localities exist that lack electricity or non-renewable sources of energy. So, it is now a need to develop a system that would be based upon the renewable source of energy and would provide a solution for ironing the clothes at minimum cost. In this paper, a novel attempt has been made to develop an ironing system based on the concept of direct thermal heating using solar radiation.