Jhansi teen builds AC for Rs 1,800 that cools room by 5°C

India is a country where scorching summers are often a problem which make staying indoors difficult. Air conditioning is also beyond the reach of many low-income households. For families living in heat-prone rural regions, summers are a challenge to survive along with electricity bills.

In 2017, a 16-year-old student from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, attempted to find a solution to this problem.Meet Kalyani Shrivastava, a Class 12 student at Lokamanya Tilak Inter College then, who built a low-cost cooling device. She also named it the 'Desi AC'. The reported cost of making it was just ₹1,800. Designed with affordability in mind, her innovation attracted attention for its simple construction and solar-powered operation.Who is Kalyani SrivastavaKalyani’s story caught people’s attention because she had looked beyond a school project and considered a problem affecting ordinary households. Rather than trying to replicate an expensive commercial appliance, she explored how readily available materials and basic components could be put together to create a more accessible cooling solution.How Kalyani's ₹1,800 Desi AC worked

According to published reports, Kalyani's device used a thermocol icebox and a 12-volt DC fan.

The arrangement allowed air to pass through the cooling chamber before being directed outside through an elbow-shaped outlet.Reports mentioned that the device could lower the room temperature by around 4-5°C after an hour of operation. It was also described as solar-powered, meaning it could operate without drawing electricity from the household supply when powered by an appropriate solar setup.The combination made the project particularly interesting.

Conventional air conditioners required a significantly larger financial investment and consumed electricity during operation. Kalyani's design, by contrast, attempted to make cooling accessible through a much simpler arrangement.It is important to understand that the device was not equivalent to a conventional air conditioner capable of maintaining a set temperature through a refrigeration cycle. It was better understood as a low-cost cooling system that used ice and moving air to provide localised relief.An idea inspired by the heatFor Kalyani, the innovation addressed a familiar challenge in the Bundelkhand region. The summers were intense here making everyday life uncomfortable. More for people who couldn’t afford an expensive AC.“For the people of Bundelkhand, it is not possible that everyone can afford an AC, and the heat is unbearable, so I got this idea and transformed it into a reality which is being appreciated a lot,” she had said in an interview.And it was the noble thought behind the project that mattered.Kalyani's experiment offered a reminder that innovation did not always begin in a sophisticated laboratory. It could also emerge from observing a problem in one's surroundings and asking whether an existing solution could be made simpler and cheaper.Harsh Goenka praised the young innovator

Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises, also shared a message about her on X.He wrote, “Kalyani Srivastava, a 16 year girl from Jhansi has emerged as a saviour for heat stricken rural people. She has invented an eco-friendly air conditioner costing just Rs.1800, the cheapest in the world. Let’s encourage such talent!”Recognition from prominent business leaders helped bring the project to a wider audience, even as the practical effectiveness and scalability of the prototype remained separate questions.

Her innovation also received recognition through other avenues.Reports stated that her creation was selected for a national-level model competition associated with IIT Delhi. In 2018, she was honoured under the Naari Samman initiative launched by the Uttar Pradesh government.In addition to being an innovator, she was also known for her musical talent. According to contemporary reports, she had participated in Indian Idol, reaching the third round, and had won more than 50 trophies in singing competitions held in Lucknow, Agra and Kanpur.Her ₹1,800 prototype was not a demonstrated substitute for conventional air conditioning, but it represented a resourceful attempt to make cooling more accessible. A cooling device that relies on ice, for example, would require an affordable source of ice. A solar-powered fan could reduce dependence on grid electricity, but that alone would not establish how much cooling the system could deliver throughout a long, hot day.