Toronto, Canada 2025 – What started as a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) solution for astronauts is soon to be revolutionize renewable energy accessibility across Canada. Keerthana Srinivasan, an 18-year-old innovator from Burlington, Ontario, has won first place in Samsung Canada’s 2025 Solve for Tomorrow competition for her invention: SARAH, or System Analysis and Reporting for Advanced Hardware.

Originally created to support NASA missions by detecting faults in spacecraft power systems in almost real time, SARAH has been reimagined as a critical tool for diagnosing problems in solar energy setups here on Earth. Its most powerful application is empowering low-income, remote, and marginalized Canadian communities to keep their solar energy systems running with minimal disruption and cost.

From Space Suits to Solar Panels

Keerthana’s journey stemmed from a totally different project altogether. While developing Coulomb, an electrode to shield lunar space suits from dust abrasion, she discovered her passion for materials science and system reliability, which led her deeper into the world of spacecraft electronics.

During an internship with The Mars Society, Keerthana supported simulated missions on Devon Island. When a time-sensitive electrical fault went unresolved due to communication delays, she saw firsthand how mission-critical malfunctions could become life-threatening.

This real-world simulation inspired a series of “mini-aha” moments. "If astronauts needed better ways to locate faults quickly, why couldn’t we offer the same efficiency to people on Earth?" she thought to herself. From this realization, SARAH was born, designed not only for space exploration, but with everyday citizens in mind.

Technology That Thinks Ahead

Traditional solar fault detection systems, such as SCADA, can take hours to pinpoint real issues because a person has to manually inspect the system to figure out what’s wrong. Signals often have to be sent back and forth between the site and a control center, which can stretch the process from a few hours to several days.

SARAH works much faster and can detect more specific problems. It can identify whether the issue is a loose wire, shading from snow, or general wear and tear—and pinpoint exactly where it’s happening. Keerthana designed SARAH so it can run on something as simple as a regular laptop. In testing, it diagnosed faults in a large, 200-panel solar system in just over 11 seconds.

Bring the Technology Back to Earth: Creating a Real World Relevance

"Accessibility.” Keerthana was adamant about her goal and intention behind SARAH. “The people who need solar power the most in Canada are often low-income, marginalized, or living in remote areas. Most automated solutions depend on costly cloud tools, which put them out of reach. I removed the need for expensive cloud systems and made it truly affordable for the communities I wanted to help," Keerthana explains.

Over 60% of low-income Canadian households who install solar power abandon it within a year due to unresolved technical issues. In many cases, it takes days or even weeks for maintenance teams to arrive, especially in rural areas. Some faults, like those triggered by snow buildup or minor wiring defects, self-resolve before the maintenance crews arrive, leaving the families confused and disillusioned.

SARAH flips that script. The system provides clear, real-time diagnostics and recommends the most likely fix, giving households an immediate direction. Whether it’s an Indigenous community in Nunavut or an affordable housing complex in downtown Toronto, SARAH offers autonomy and peace of mind.

One simulation showed that using SARAH on a 200-acre solar farm could reduce downtime losses by $600,000 per week. But the societal value runs deeper: it keeps critical heating, cooling, and communication systems running in areas where grid power is unreliable, improving health, education, and economic outcomes.

The Solve for Tomorrow Advantage

Samsung Canada's Solve for Tomorrow program was instrumental in taking SARAH from concept to community-ready. Through mentorship, design support, and feedback from the Samsung Canada team, Keerthana learned how to share her work in a way that resonated beyond the technical details, capturing the imagination of every participants.

Her decision to enter wasn’t driven by the hope of winning. “The main reason I wanted to enter was to inspire other girls in my high school and community to compete in the future,” she explains. “I thought even just reaching the regional finals could help break the illusion that you need a large team or extensive support to compete. Since winning, so many girls have reached out with questions and started projects of their own. It’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Her win didn’t just bring visibility. It created momentum. Since earning first place, Keerthana has been contacted by school groups, community leaders, and solar energy nonprofits across the country. Her story is already inspiring the next wave of changemakers, proving that one person’s determination can light the way for many others.

Lighting the Path Forward

SARAH is currently undergoing tests aboard a satellite in low Earth orbit, where it’s being challenged with real-time solar fluctuation data. Keerthana plans to launch field pilots in Canadian communities next year and ultimately scale the project through a startup or nonprofit initiative.

In parallel, she is co-founding Maven, a nonprofit offering STEM mentorship for girls aged 10–16, with mentorship from professionals at NASA and Google. Her hope? That more girls will discover the confidence to build, code, and lead.

"Solve for Tomorrow showed me that you don’t need a team or a lab to change the world. You just need a problem that matters to you and the will to solve it."