By Ayushi Dutta,
Class: Xth PMShree Kendriya Vidalaya No.1, Itanagar
Miss Vinisha Umashankar, a girl from Tamil Nadu, who at the age of 15 invented the first solar power ironing cart called the IRON MAX. She is a globally recognized champion for climate action and innovation. Her dedication to environmental sustainability has been recognized with several prestigious awards. Among these, she received the National Youth Award 2020-2021 from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India, and the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award 2019, honouring innovative young minds.
She is a girl from a rural town where there are several ironing vendors in her neighborhood who used charcoal to heat up a cast iron box to press clothes, after they use up the charcoal, the vendors discarded the burnt charcoal into the sewer or in the garbage which is not a sustainable practice. So, the problem that Vanisha focused on when she was in 8th grade, “The use of charcoal as a fuel to heat the cast iron box.” Hard questions spark smart fixes, likewise Vanisha came to a conclusion defining the problem.
Vanisha designed a solar mobile ironing cart with a solar power panel to power an induction iron. If there is not enough sunlight then the iron box can be powered by a battery, main electricity or a power generator. The cart can come beneficial as it can be fitted with a coin operator, GSM, PCO, USB charging pints and also offers recharging services.
She used monocrystalline solar panel because of its 22% power generation rate plus it needs less space to produce a higher output. Then she used induction heat for the heat transfer, as it uses electromagnetic fields which create heat directly inside the metal objects also gives consistent heat and temperature control. And lastly for the power utilization, she said the power should need to be used immediately or else the power will get wasted in the distribution process. For this she directed the power generation in the iron box first and then the rest in the battery for later uses.
Vinisha, by harnessing her own creativity, knowledge and new perspective has given a new shape to the community and made a wide step towards sustainable development. This young innovator is a new inspiration for the upcoming youth, the inspiration to use their own skill to innovate something today for the betterment of tomorrow.
