IIT Kanpur develops floating solar grid to refine river ghats

The i-Ghat facility at Kada Ghat, Kaushambhi, was commissioned in September 2022 and is equipped with a state-of-the-art floating charging station  

Acquafront Infrastructure Private Limited (AIPL), a start-up incubated at the Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) IIT Kanpur, has developed a next-gen concept ‘i-Ghat’ at Kada Ghat in Kaushambhi. It is a unique futuristic proposition to refine river ghats in India. 

According to an official release, i-Ghat includes integrating reinforced-cement concrete (RCC) based floats with solar cells and electric-powered boats using Steel Integrated Floating Jelly (SIFJ) technology to avoid the impact of using plastic floats and also to reduce the noise and air pollution caused by diesel boats. The project is supported by NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader present in more than 80 countries. 

i-Ghat facility causes zero air, noise pollution

The i-Ghat facility at Kada Ghat, Kaushambhi, was commissioned in September 2022 and is equipped with a state-of-the-art floating charging station with a battery swap for the battery powered electric-boats that use captured solar energy through the RCC-based floating solar grid. It is completely self-sufficient, causes zero air and noise pollution and aligns with NTT DATA’s aim to support technology innovations for a sustainable world. 

Gauri Bahulkar, Director Global CSR & India Client Experience Centres, NTT DATA Services, said, “We have always believed in SIIC’s quest to harness innovative talent to develop next-gen technology and are happy to associate with IIT Kanpur’s incubation centre which shares a long-standing history of ensuring last-mile impact through its deployed technology." 

IIT Kanpur Director Prof Abhay Karandikar said, “The innovation ecosystem at IIT Kanpur is under rapid expansion and I am grateful to NTT DATA for their consistent support to us and the start-ups.” 

Read more: 

• GATE 2023 mock test link activated at gate.iitk.ac.in  
• BTech graduates found to be 3rd most employable: Report  
• IIT Bombay annual techfest begins on December 16