Let the Sun Shine on my village in India

It was recently reported in the Times of India that in May 2014, residents of oida have
complained of power cuts from 4 am to ! am" ormal life is disrupted due to such power cuts
and as per the power department it is li#ely to worsen as they are going to $e shot of pea#
demand $y nearly 2%00 M&" 'n (uly )0 and )1, 2012 India suffered the world*s $iggest
$lac#out, which left more than !00 million people without power" The International +nergy
,gency -I+,. estimates that India needs an investment of at least /1)% $illion to provide the
energy needs of its population"
India is one of the largest consumer of energy in the world, and will $e the third largest $y
20)0" Indians and Indian government needs to $ecome more responsi$le in its approach to
consuming energy" ,$out 400 million people in India have no access or lac# access to
electricity" This gets worse $ecause economic growth demands more energy" In a statement on
(une )0, 2014, from the new 0hief Minister of Seemandhra, he has directed procurement of
additional power from neigh$ouring states to meet demand"
&hile most of the concentration $y the government is at the 1r$an and Industrial sector, they
are neglecting the rural India which is deprived e2ually, if not more" Most rural residents have
their health threatened $y pollution while using #erosene for coo#ing or lighting" ,ccording
to a study $y professors Mitavachan and (ayaraman from the Indian Institute of Science,
India*s energy can $e met entirely $y solar and other renewa$le resources" Their analysis
mentions that %3 of the uncultiva$le and waste land is enough to meet a pro4ected annual
demand of )400 T&h $y 2050 using solar panels"
The launch of (awaharlal ehru ational Solar Mission -(SM. has created a lot of interest
in the India solar sector" In a rapidly growing economy, with a rapidly increasing population,
nothing is more important that esta$lishing energy policies to $e carried out over the course of
several years" 6or instance, 7ermany has recently released news of their commitment to
converting to 1003 renewa$le energy $y, 20%0"
+nergy prices in India are clim$ing, and supply while growing, is not #eeping pace with steep
demand" 0oal is $ecoming more difficult to o$tain, sources of domestic gas are shrin#ing and
there is more focus than ever on sustaina$ility" Solar power, despite initial challenges, is
$ecoming a multi$illion8dollar opportunity" Solar will $ecome a crucial component of India*s
energy portfolio in the ne9t decade"
The Ministry of on8conventional +nergy Sources -M+S. aim to provide electricity to
2%,000 remote un8electrified villages in India through renewa$le energy sources and
distri$uted generation adopts the #ey policy instrument of capital su$sidies and capacity
$uilding of local organi:ations" ational and international e9perience shows, however, that
this model would not suffice to ma#e the electrification programme succeed in the long run"
Implementation models should $e more tailor8made in order to actually $ridge the gap
$etween costs and willingness to pay and to facilitate the reduction of the gap itself over time"
It is generally accepted that access to modern energy services is a prere2uisite for
development" The $enefits of providing energy services, nota$ly electricity, are twofold; on
the one hand, it alleviates poverty $y providing $etter living conditions, and on the other
hand, it allows the initiation of economic activities, for instance in the productive sector or
$ecause irrigation $ecomes possi$le" There are other $enefits in terms of improved indoor air
2uality, security, and ena$ling of education in the evenings"
There is international recognition for the need for access to energy services" Theoretically,
village electrification is $est done through grid e9tension" This gives the most re8lia$le and
e9tensive source of power, with virtually no capacity limits" The villages can use the
electricity for lighting and audiovisuals, $ut also for coo#ing, mechanical energy, and
irrigation" <owever, the grid also poses pro$lems, especially if the a$ility to pay the
electricity $ills is very low, or if the electricity supply is unrelia$le" In India, grid e9tension
may $e costly if the villages are located a long distance from the grid" In a significant num$er
of cases, in the case of otherwise high costs and sufficient availa$ility of renewa$le energy
sources, village electrification through off8grid, renewa$le electricity is the preferred option"
The 7overnment of India =>rogramme for +lectrification of ?emote 0ensus @illages and 1n8
electrified ?emote <amlets of +lectrified 0ensus @illages through on80onventional +nergy
Sources* aims at electrifying the mentioned ha$itations $y means of energy sources such as
solar energy" The general conditions for sustaina$le village electrification can $e summarised
as follows;
A 1sefulness for the users; the systems should $e appropriate to the user and should fulfil the
needs"
A Sense of ownership; the $eneficiary should feel responsi$le for the system" This is important
as lac# of ownership may cause neglect and eventual system failure"
A ,fforda$ility; The costs of the systems -including 'BM costs. should not e9ceed the a$ility
to pay of the users"
A >ost8commissioning; Sufficient measures should $e ta#en in order to ensure long8term
functioning of the system, and in order to provide the $eneficial effects of electrification"
In my village in Carnata#a, su$ $leached mud houses dot the landscape and cows compete
with people and other means of transport on the main road in the village" Dut when the Sun
goes down, there is an eerie silence and it seems the whole village is dead"
Many people have died due to pollution from smo#e and pollution created $y use of #erosene
and candles in confined spaces" India*s new prime minister has ac#nowledged this and wants
the 7u4arat model to $e deployed across the entire nation" <is government has said it wants
every home to $e a$le to run at least one light $ul$ with the help of Solar"
In one my visits to my village a$out 24 months ago, I met with Mallana 7owda, a small
emancipated man in his early %0s" Mallana*s house even though connected to the grid, does
not have electricity on a regular $asis" <e was narrating a story when a few wee#s earlier, he
had to endure 1E hours of power outage for five days at a stretch" +ven as I was spea#ing to
him, we e9perienced a couple of $rownouts" Mallana mentioned that the standard answer
from the authorities is that the power lines snap due to rain or wind and will $e restored soon"
This uncertainty ta#es it toll on Mallana*s family" &hile I tried to e9plain to Mallana a$out
Solar >@, my #nowledge of local language -especially the technical terms. failed me to
convince Mallana" Moved $y this event, I decided to do something a$out it and hence visited
Mallana a year later" Dut this time I went $earing gifts F two Solar powered lamps which
would last for at least % hours after the sun went down"
Mallana was surprised and a smile lit up his face when he pressed the $utton on the Solar
lamp and instantly his whole house was $athed in clear white light" +ven while his neigh$ours
might wait for the grid power to $e restored, Mallana*s house the Sun shall shine"
I hope every one adopts one Mallana 7owda and lets the Sun Shine on Indian villages"