Climate activist, engineer, innovator and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, who inspired Aamir Khan’s character in the iconic film ‘3 Idiots’, has devised a solar power-heated military tent that will keep Indian Army soldiers warm in rough terrains and freezing temperatures. It is a solar tent and uses no fuel such as kerosene or diesel, making the creation earth-friendly.
In a Facebook post, the innovator shared the details about his noble project and showed proof of the difference in degrees in and outside the solar-powered tent working completely on fuel from the natural source of light.
“+15 C at 10pm. Minimum outside last night was -14 C, Uses only sunlight, water and insulated layers to maintain temperature,” Wangchuk wrote. “Designed for 8 to 10 soldiers, it is fully portable for difficult terrains. Each part weighs less than 30 Kgs,” he was quoted as saying adding that the project potentially does away with emission.
In the post that has gone viral, Wangchuk also informed that the tent was made in Ladakh.
In 2018, Wangchuk was recognised for “his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress, thus setting an example for minority peoples in the world,” the citation said as he was declared the winner of Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Ice Stupa Project
Sonam Wangchuk and his team also successfully created artificial glaciers by collecting water in winters that helped local farmers in irrigation in springtime.