Monday 4 August 2014

reenpeace India initiative: Solar micro-grid project in Bihar village

Solar micro-grid project in village Dharnai

July 20, 2014 is a red letter day for Dharnai, a small and peaceful village in Bihar. It’s a day of triumph and celebration. For last 30 years the village was demanding for a basic amenity, they were struggling without power for over 30 years!! Something or other kept on happening and this remote village of Bihar never got this basic amenity. Dharnai, now proudly owns and operates its own electricity production system which is located right inside the village.

The miracle didn’t happen in one day. They didn’t get any divine intervention either. It is made possible by the sheer determination of Greenpeace India and the residents of Dharnai who join hands together to make the miracle happen.

“We had tried everything in the book to get electricity for the last 30 years. But we haven’t seen a single ray of hope. While India was growing by leaps and bounds, we were stuck here with kerosene lamps and expensive diesel generators. But now I can proudly say that Dharnai is a leader in innovation,” said Kamal Kishore Prasad, resident and Village Electricity Committee chairman of Bishunpur Tolla, Dharnai.

Before we go into the details of solar power project in Dharnai, we need to understand the location, demography and history of this village so that we can comprehend the difficulty level and the true meaning of this project for poor villagers of Dharnai. Dharnai is one of the poorest villages in India located in the northeast segment of Bihar state. It is one of those 19,000 other villages, which do not get power from the traditional grid-based system and in general lack access to the electricity. Right now, one hundred kilowatt (kW) system in Dharnai gives electricity to 450 homes of the 2,400 residents. It also supports 50 commercial operations, two schools, a training centre and a healthcare facility. Power is ensured for 24×7 through a battery backup system. The 100 KW power is used for 70 kW electricity generation and 30 kW, 10 numbers of solar-powered water-pumping systems with three horsepower each. Total system was built within three months and was on a test-run since the March 2014. Finally, after two months of successful testing, with the eldest person of Dharnai (80 years old) , formally switched it on in front of a supportive crowd of thousands

This is in fact the first village in India which will be 100% solar powered. Greenpeace India is needed to be congratulated for this initiative. They say that they required a heterogeneous village for this model solar micro-grid project. The main occupation of the village was needed to be agriculture. There were other requirements of basic social infrastructure like school, healthcare facility, an anganwadi (communal children centre), a commercial zone and around 400 households.

Now, reliable electricity in the evening has changed the quality of the life and educational opportunities for village children. Not to mention, villagers feel safe and secure with the presence of street lighting during evening. Reliable power supply has improved the local economy, and boosted the social life of the villagers.