Patna: Bihar is preparing to expand its Solar Village initiative, with villages likely to be ranked on the basis of the number of operational solar systems installed across them. Villages performing well in the proposed assessment could be identified as Solar Villages and receive incentives from the power company.
The initiative is aimed at increasing the use of solar energy in rural areas and encouraging the installation of more solar systems across villages.
Schools, Homes and Health Centres to Count
The proposed ranking will take into account different types of solar systems installed in villages.
These will include solar systems installed in schools, rooftop solar panels on houses and systems installed at health centres.
Rooftop installations under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana are also expected to contribute to the number of solar systems in a village.
As more households adopt rooftop solar, the installations could play an important role in determining which villages make progress towards the Solar Village model.
Solar Systems Being Connected to the Grid
According to the power company, newly installed solar systems are being connected to the electricity grid.
The focus is on increasing the number of solar installations across rural areas while integrating them with the existing power network.
However, the large number of solar street lights already operating in villages will not be included in the Solar Village ranking.
The proposed assessment will instead focus on solar systems that contribute to electricity generation and use at homes and public institutions.
Complete Solar Village Model Not Yet Possible
Officials involved in the initiative have indicated that developing a village entirely through solar power is not immediately feasible.
Instead, the current approach is to gradually increase the number of solar systems installed across rural areas and connect them to the grid.
Solar systems are being introduced at different levels, including residential and institutional locations. Increasing their number is expected to help villages move towards the proposed Solar Village model.
Bihar Has Earlier Experimented With Solar Villages
Bihar has previously undertaken initiatives aimed at using solar energy in rural areas.
In 2014, Dharnai village in Jehanabad district received a solar micro-grid with support from various organisations. The project attracted attention as an early experiment in providing electricity through renewable energy in a rural setting.
However, the project was eventually discontinued after maintenance-related challenges.
More recently, Doiya village in Noorsarai block of Nalanda district has been developed as a solar model village.
Modhera Sets National Example
Bihar’s proposed initiative also comes against the backdrop of solar village projects elsewhere in India.
Modhera in Gujarat has been developed as the country’s first solar village. The village has a ground-mounted solar power plant along with a battery energy storage system.
Solar panels have also been installed on residential rooftops, allowing solar power generation and storage to contribute to the village’s electricity requirements.
The Modhera model demonstrates how renewable energy generation, storage and household-level solar installations can be combined at the village level.
Top Solar Villages Could Receive Incentives
Under Bihar’s proposed approach, the number of eligible solar systems installed and operating in a village will form an important basis for its ranking.
The villages that perform strongly could be recognised as Solar Villages and receive incentives from the electricity company.
The initiative is ultimately aimed at encouraging greater adoption of solar energy in rural Bihar and increasing the number of households and public institutions using renewable power.
