Indian student works on tapping solar power in space

Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 20:30 IST
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AHMEDABAD: An engineering student in Gujarat is working on ways to generate solar power in space and earning the respect of towering personalities in science around the world for his efforts. Dipjay Sanchania, a 20-year-old student at L.D. College of Engineering in this main city of Gujarat, even had the privilege of being invited to deliver a lecture on "Space Solar Power" at Techfest 2003, the annual festival of the premier Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai last month. "It was like a dream come true for me. While we, the students of engineering, nurture dreams of getting into IIT, I was invited to give a lecture there," an exuberant Sanchania told IANS here. "The volunteers at Techfest mistook me for a student and it was hard to convince them that I was there to deliver a lecture," the beaming science whiz added. Sanchania has developed the concept of rectenna, or wireless solar power transmission, and is waiting for national and international science organisations to fund him to convert it into reality. Explained Sanchania: "The concept envisages the system converting solar energy into electrical energy. There is a concept of wireless power transmission between the sources of supply -- where the electricity is to be generated either through satellite in space or on the moon -- and the Earth or space lab." He said solar energy, when generated on Earth, is less productive as the rays lose their effectiveness after traversing through the atmosphere. In space, solar energy could be 10 times more productive. Hailing from Gujarat's Rajkot town, Sanchania was born into a family of engineers. "As a child I grew up playing with machines. So when it came to engineering, it was child's play for me," said Sanchania. "But it is space science that has intrigued me since my childhood. Space is one thing that has always attracted me. I am a voracious reader of every article on space. "I came to know about space solar power from the monthly magazine ISA two years ago. The article was on electric power generation in space and revolved round two of my favourite subjects: space science and electrical engineering. "For details, I contacted the editor of that magazine who gave me the e-mail address of David R. Criswell, a U.S.-based renowned space scientist and director of the Institute of Space System Operation who first propounded the lunar solar power theory," added Sanchania. Criswell is now guiding Sanchania, who said their exchange of e-mails gave him insight into space solar power. Criswell also put him in touch with many other scientists who are working on the same technology around the world. "Right now I am in contact with 60 space scientists around the globe. John Mankins, chief technologist, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S., and R. Bryan Erb from the Canadian Space Agency who is working on the Canadian Space Station Programme at NASA's Johnson Space Centre are among them. "Mankins sent me some of his slides on the solar power satellite while Criswell sent a few photographs of lunar solar power and many technical papers and articles from various institutes," he said. Albert Einstein is Sanchania's inspiration and President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who spearheaded India's missile programme, is his role model. "Einstein said 'Watch the stars and from them you learn'. This inspires me. I consider Abdul Kalam as my guiding light. He is the founder of missile technology in the country and I revered him long before he became the president," Sanchania said.
Source: IANS