Ranchi, Jan. 1: Call it the marriage of innovative technology and business acumen. A village in Jadugora, East Singbhum, will soon be powered by oxen-driven generator.

The Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, has developed the generator while Tata Motors is keen on promoting it. And backing them is a final-year student from XLRI, Jamshedpur, Ankur Saboo.

Saboo has come forward to promote the new product not only in Jharkhand villages, but elsewhere too.

The team from BIT, Mesra, and Tata Motors’ research and development wing along with Saboo will set up 10 oxen-driven generators as a pilot project in Jadugora village, which has about 80 families.

They will be divided into eight energy groups and each group will be supplied with one oxen-driven generator. If an ox works on the device for about three hours, it will generate sufficient energy to light up eight houses in the evening for three days.

Having divided the households of Jadugora into energy committees, the promoters are now busy training the local residents on how to operate the device and maintain it.

“We have shown the device to several government agencies as well as corporate houses. Tata Motors and Larsen and Toubro Limited are keen on promoting it,” said Saboo. The villagers will be advised to use CFL lights that consume minimum power.

The generator costs Rs 33,000 and a battery of Rs 6,000 will have to be fitted separately to it to absorb the energy produced.

As the generator will also have a mechanism to lift water from any water body, the energy generated can be used for irrigation, too.

“India has livestock that can generate 48MW power for use. As every other family in rural India rears cattle, the device can well become a source of clean energy in future,” said Arvind Kumar, the brain behind the device and an associate professor in the mechanical engineering department of BIT, Mesra.

Kumar added compared to costs involved in the production of solar energy, the device is much cheaper and has a life span of about 25 years.