Solar-Powered Micro-Entrepreneurship: Integrating IoT for Sustainable Street Vending in India

Abstract

InIndia,over10millionstreetvendorsformthebackboneoftheinformaleconomy,despite contributing significantly to the urban economy, street vendors often operate under extreme financial pressure, with minimal access to stable electricity, cold storage, or digital tools. Many face frequent spoilage of goods, high operational costs, and income insecurity, making it difficult to sustain their livelihoods or invest in long-term improvements. Thisresearch proposes SmartCart—a cost-effective, solar-powered, and IoT-enabled street vending model designed to enhance the sustainability, profitability, and operational intelligence of small vendors. The proposed system integrates a solar photovoltaic panel system and IoT-based sensors for real-time monitoring of temperature, battery health, andsolarperformance.Thissolutionisspecificallydesignedtoempowerlow-incomestreet vendors by improving their operational efficiency, reducing daily costs, and increasing overall profitability.A comparativecostanalysis betweentraditional vendorsetups and the SmartCart solution indicates a significant reduction in recurring energy expenses and spoilagelosses,offeringanestimatedReturnonInvestment(ROI)within18–24months. Additionally, the modular IoT layer enables vendors to make data-driven decisions and optimize operations without increasing complexity. This paper presents the design, budgeting,powersystemsizing,andROIprojectionsofSmartCart,supportedbyfield-based data, existingliterature, and simulations. By addressing both energy inefficiency and digital exclusion, SmartCart aims to uplift marginalized street entrepreneurs through sustainable technology.

Introduction

The informal economy, especially street vendors, plays a crucial but often overlooked role in India’s urban life, providing essential goods despite facing major challenges such as unreliable electricity, lack of refrigeration, and digital payment exclusion. Traditional vending carts rely on grid electricity or batteries, which are inefficient, costly, and risk product spoilage, particularly for perishables.

With digital payments growing in India, many vendors remain excluded due to lack of access. To address these problems, the study proposes SmartCart—a solar-powered, IoT-enabled vending cart designed for low-income urban vendors. SmartCart integrates solar panels, efficient refrigeration, and real-time IoT monitoring to reduce costs, improve product shelf-life, and enable digital inclusion, thereby enhancing vendor livelihoods.

The literature review highlights previous solar-powered vending solutions but notes they lack IoT features and digital payment integration. The study fills this gap by combining solar refrigeration with IoT-based temperature and battery monitoring tailored to India’s informal sector.

Methodologically, the SmartCart was designed, prototyped, and tested for efficiency, cost, and usability. It includes a 200W solar panel, battery, efficient freezer, and IoT sensors. The estimated cost is ?41,000–?45,000 (or ?33,000–?35,000 without inverter), higher than traditional setups (?27,000–?30,000), but offers long-term savings and energy independence.

A future design iteration includes dual solar panels, improved mobility, and customer-facing display. Financial analysis shows SmartCart’s operating and maintenance costs (?3,100–?5,400/year) are lower than traditional grid-dependent carts (?6,900–?9,500/year), making it financially viable over time, especially for vendors seeking sustainability and digital payment capabilities.

Conclusion

ThisresearchpresentedthedesignandfeasibilityoftheSmartCart—asolar-powered,IoT- enabled vending solution tailored for Indian street vendors. The project successfully demonstrateshowintegratingsolarenergywithsmartmonitoringsystemscanoffera sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional vending setups. Byreducingrelianceongridelectricity,theSmartCartnotonlyensuresoperationalcontinuity in power-deficient areas but also significantly lowers recurring energy expenses. Its modular system—including solar panels, a DC freezer, and IoT sensors—helps maintain optimal food storage conditions, improves hygiene, and supports digital integration. Mostimportantly,thisinnovationempowerslow-incomestreetvendors,enablingthemtosave costs, extend product freshness, and participate in India’s growing digital economy

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Vaibhav Sharma. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.