The Salt-Powered Revolution: How Three Indian Teens Are Cooling the World Without Electricity

a tale of purpose, persistence, and the power of young minds to solve real-world problems.

In the heart of Indore, India, three teenagers—Dhruv Chaudhary, Mithran Ladhania, and Mridul Jain—have sparked a revolution that could change lives in the most remote corners of the world. Their invention, the Thermavault, a salt-powered refrigerator that requires no electricity, won them the prestigious 2025 Earth Prize for Asia, along with $12,500 to further their mission. This isn’t just a story of innovation; it’s a tale of purpose, persistence, and the power of young minds to solve real-world problems. Let’s dive into how they did it, why it matters, and how teens and parents everywhere can draw inspiration from their journey.

The Problem: A Cold Chain Crisis in Rural India

Imagine a rural hospital in India, miles from the nearest power grid, struggling to keep life-saving vaccines cool. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this wasn’t a hypothetical scenario—it was a stark reality. Over 1.4 billion people worldwide lack reliable access to electricity, and in India alone, nearly 40% of rural health centers face irregular power supply, according to a 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) report. Vaccines, like those for COVID-19, often require storage between 2°C and 8°C, a challenge in areas where traditional refrigeration is a luxury.

Dhruv, Mithran, and Mridul, all students, grew up hearing about these challenges from their parents, who work in the medical field. “We learned how hard it was to transport vaccines to rural areas during the pandemic,” Mridul shared in an interview with Business Insider. “People were losing lives because of something as basic as a lack of cooling.” Their personal connection to the issue fueled their determination to find a solution.

The Innovation: How Salt Becomes a Superhero

The Thermavault is a marvel of simplicity and ingenuity. At its core, it uses an endothermic reaction—when certain salts, like ammonium chloride, dissolve in water, they absorb heat from their surroundings, creating a cooling effect. The fridge itself is an insulated plastic container lined with a copper wall. The cooling solution, made by dissolving salts in water, is poured into a space between the outer plastic and inner copper walls, lowering the internal temperature to keep vaccines or even transplant organs viable for up to 12 hours.

What makes the Thermavault revolutionary is its reusability. Unlike traditional cold boxes that rely on ice packs, which need freezers to refreeze, the salt solution can be regenerated in the field. “You can boil away the water, collect the solid salt, and reuse it with fresh water to start the cooling process again,” Dhruv explained. This eliminates the need for electricity, making it ideal for remote areas. Dr. Vyas, an orthopedic surgeon who tested the device praised its potential: “With a temperature monitor, it could be a game-changer for rural healthcare.”

The teens’ choice of ammonium chloride wasn’t random. They spent months researching salts with optimal endothermic properties, balancing cost, availability, and safety. Their prototype, developed in a school lab, was a testament to resourcefulness, using everyday materials to solve a global problem. The Thermavault is now poised to compete with existing cold-chain solutions, with plans to secure WHO Performance, Quality, and Safety (PQS) certification and pitch to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The Journey: From Classroom to Global Stage

The path to the 2025 Earth Prize wasn’t easy. Dhruv, Mithran, and Mridul balanced schoolwork with late-night experiments, often facing skepticism. “Some people thought we were too young to tackle something this big,” Mithran admitted. But their shared vision kept them going. They drew inspiration from stories of other young innovators, like Ann Makosinski, who invented a flashlight powered by body heat at age 15.

Their breakthrough came when they entered the Earth Prize, a global competition for teens working on environmental solutions. The trio’s project stood out among thousands of entries, earning them the Asia regional prize and a chance to compete for the global title. The $12,500 prize money is just the beginning—they plan to build 200 Thermavault units and test them in 120 hospitals across India, starting with rural facilities in Madhya Pradesh.

The Earth Prize also offered mentorship, connecting the teens with a volunteer to help them pursue a patent. “We want to protect our idea but also make it accessible to those who need it most,” Mridul said. Their story is a reminder that innovation doesn’t require a fancy lab—just curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to fail and try again.

Why It Matters: A Ripple Effect for Global Health

The Thermavault addresses a critical gap in the global health supply chain. According to Gavi, nearly 20% of vaccines in low-income countries are wasted due to improper storage, costing millions annually. In India, where over 27 million infants are vaccinated each year, reliable cold-chain solutions could save countless lives. Beyond vaccines, the Thermavault could preserve blood, organs, and other medical supplies, transforming healthcare delivery in off-grid regions.

But the impact goes beyond healthcare. The Thermavault is a sustainable solution, reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-powered refrigeration. If scaled, it could lower carbon emissions in the cold-chain sector, which accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, per a 2020 International Institute of Refrigeration study. For the teens, winning the Earth Prize was validation of their dual mission: improving lives and protecting the planet.

The story of Dhruv, Mithran, and Mridul is a call to action for teens everywhere. You don’t need to be a prodigy to make a difference—here’s how you can start:

1. Identify a Problem You Care About: Look around your community. Is there a challenge—like water scarcity, food waste, or air pollution—that sparks your curiosity? The Thermavault began with a problem the teens heard about at home.

2. Start Small, Experiment Often: You don’t need a big budget. Use school labs, online resources, or household materials to test ideas. Platforms like Instructables or Hackster offer DIY project guides to spark inspiration.

3. Collaborate and Seek Mentors: Team up with friends who share your passion. Reach out to teachers, local scientists, or organizations like the Earth Prize for guidance. The teens’ success came from combining their skills and seeking expert feedback.

4. Enter Competitions: Programs like the Earth Prize, Google Science Fair, or India’s INSPIRE Awards offer platforms to showcase your ideas and win funding. Even if you don’t win, the feedback can refine your project.

5. Stay Curious: Read widely, watch TED Talks, or follow innovators on X. Curiosity led the teens to explore endothermic reactions, a concept they stumbled upon in chemistry class.

Shifting the Mindset: From Jobs to Impact

In a world obsessed with “safe” careers, how do we inspire teens to chase impact over paychecks? It starts with redefining success. Parents and educators can play a pivotal role:

• Encourage Exploration Over Perfection: Let teens tinker, fail, and learn. When Dhruv’s first prototype leaked, his parents didn’t scold him—they celebrated his effort. Failure is a stepping stone to innovation.

• Expose Them to Real-World Problems: Share stories of global challenges. Field trips to local NGOs or hospitals can ignite empathy and ideas.

• Celebrate Small Wins: Praise teens for their curiosity and initiative, not just grades. A simple “I’m proud of you for trying” can build confidence.

• Provide Resources: Gift a Raspberry Pi, a chemistry kit, or a subscription to Make: Magazine. Free online courses on Coursera or Khan Academy can teach coding, design, or sustainability.

  
  

For teens, the message is clear: Your ideas matter. You don’t need to wait until you’re “grown up” to change the world. As Mithran put it, “If we can do this at 16, imagine what you can do.”

To parents: You are the wind beneath your teen’s wings. Your belief in their potential can turn a spark into a flame. When Dhruv, Mithran, and Mridul’s parents shared stories of rural healthcare struggles, they didn’t know they were planting the seeds of a global innovation. Listen to your teen’s dreams, no matter how wild they seem. Provide a safe space to experiment, and celebrate their courage to try.

To teens: You are not too young, too small, or too inexperienced to make a dent in the universe. The Thermavault started as a classroom project, not a multimillion-dollar lab experiment. Your passion, paired with persistence, can move mountains. Find a problem that lights you up, gather a few friends, and start tinkering. The world needs your ideas—now more than ever.

The Road Ahead: Scaling a Dream

With their $12,500 prize, the teens are already planning the next steps: building 200 Thermavault units, testing them in 120 hospitals, and pursuing WHO certification. They dream of partnering with organizations like Gavi to distribute their fridges globally. A patent could protect their invention, but they’re committed to keeping it affordable for the communities that need it most.

Their story is inspiring with hope in a world facing complex challenges. It reminds us that solutions don’t always come from boardrooms or billion-dollar budgets—sometimes, they come from three teens in a school lab, armed with salt, water, and a dream.

So, to every teen reading this: What’s your Thermavault? What problem keeps you up at night? And to every parent: How will you help your teen find their spark? The world is waiting for the next big idea—and it just might come from you.