Accomplishments

The ONGC Solar Chulha Challenge was aimed at developing cost effective and efficient solar powered stove system in line with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to touch people’s lives by providing them safe and low cost alternatives for clean household cooking. This was a first-of-its-kind initiative taken up by any corporate to promote solar chulha in order to reach out to the last mile of society. The genesis of the challenge lay in the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s call given to ONGC to foster the development of ‘Efficient Electric Chulha (Stove)’ that can provide smoke-free kitchen to the mothers in each and every part of the country, while inaugurating ONGC’s Corporate Office Deendayal Urja Bhawan in September 2017.

Answering the call, ONGC had launched a nationwide challenge for which it received an overwhelming response with over 1500 applications. An Expert Panel of Scientists & Industry Experts headed by Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission evaluated the applications. Thirteen applications were shortlisted by the panel during their 1st meeting on 6th January 2018. These teams were then invited to present their proposals to the Expert Panel during its 2nd Meeting on 24 February 2018 at Mumbai, after which the panel selected the finalists with proposals from both Solar Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal based systems.