Alen Netan Crasta, a Mechanical Engineering student from Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Manipal, along with Ranju Mamachan, has been selected under the Grassroot Innovation Program by the Government of Karnataka, receiving ₹4 lakh in seed funding after a successful pitch in Bengaluru.
The project involves the development of a low-cost I–V curve tracer and domestic solar panel monitoring system designed to improve solar performance monitoring. The innovation enables 24/7 tracking of panel efficiency and helps detect power losses caused by dust and other environmental factors.
The system can be used by solar installers to test multiple panels simultaneously, reducing diagnostic time, and by researchers to accurately compare panels under identical irradiance conditions.
Developed as a student project under the guidance of Ranju Mamachan, who is also the co-inventor, the project has already reached the prototype stage. The team plans to develop a high-power.