Two students of the Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Alathur in Perambalur district earned laurels as their project titled “IoT based automatic power factor correction system” bagged the first prize at the ninth State Level Creativity Competition organised by the Directorate of Employment and Training, Tamil Nadu, last month. 

The competition was conducted at the Government ITI in Ulundurpet on June 23 in which 25 projects were submitted under the Electrician Trade category alone by students of different government ITIs.  One of the projects submitted under this category was that of the Government ITI, Alathur, students P. Manikandan and T. Muhammad Farook- both final year students of Electrician Trade. 

A four-member jury headed by the Regional Joint Director of Training, Villupuram Region, and also consisting of an industrial expert, evaluated the projects and the demonstrations by the participating students during the competition.  The project submitted by Manikandan and Muhammad Farook bagged the first prize in the annual contest.

“The two students had worked for three to six months on this project and prepared a prototype working model to explain about the working of the IoT Based Automatic Power Factor Correction System and its key features at the contest,” said K.S.R. Ranjith Kumar, Assistant Training Officer (Electrician), Government ITI, Alathur, who was the project guide.

The students demonstrated their innovation and technical skills during the competition which resulted in their project being adjudged the first prize, Mr. Ranjith Kumar said.  Speaking about the project, Mr. Ranjith Kumar said the IoT-based system was designed to monitor real time the performance of Automatic Power Factor Correction Panels used in industries. 

Real time monitoring of key electrical parameters and detection of faults instantly through mobile application and web dashboard are the other key features of the project, he said and added that the two students were thrilled when their project bagged the first prize when the results were declared on June 25. 

The students would soon receive ₹50,000 as cash prize for having bagged the first prize.  This is the third consecutive time that the projects of the students of Government ITI, Alathur, bagged the first prizes under the Electrician Trade category during the yearly State-level Creativity Competition, he added.