Dharnai – India’s First Fully Solar-Powered Village

Today the earth is endangered by global warming with the rise in pollution. The solar energy has come to us as our saviour. The environmentalist’s continuous hard work has paid off. As of now the solar energy is considered to be useful and the best kind of renewable energy that we have. Solar energy has provided us the viable option when the need of energy that has grown. Solar power not only saves our planet from global warming but it also is economical.

India is a tropical country where the sun remains bright and hot throughout the day. On an average India receives sunlight for almost 300 days per year which roughly translates to 3000 hours of sunshine in a year. The use of solar energy is not limited to light but also for water heating. Water heating consumes lots of energy and is not limited to houses but it is also used by many industries and manufacturers.

There are many projects that have come up for tapping solar energy in India, few of them are :

• World’s biggest rooftop solar plant in Punjab,
• World’s 1^st solar powered airport in Kerala,
• India 1^st solar powered village Dharnai and much more.

Lack of power paralyzes the growth. Still, some villages in India are devoid of electricity. Dharnai was one of them a few years back. Dharnai is the village that falls in the state of Bihar in India. Though the electricity was initially provided by the state government but improper planning and lack of infrastructure made the people of Dharnai village suffer. The diesel generators were available but they were out of the reach due to the high cost of affordability.

The people of Dharnai suffered without electricity for almost 33 years. It was then the two NGO’s – BASIX and CEED (Centre for Environment and Energy development) along with the Greenpeace took the resourcefulness to bring the solar power to this village, Dharnai. The result was the beginning of Dharnai village to step into light after years of darkness and sufferings. It is Dharnai village which is credited for being the 1^st village of India to be completely powered by the solar energy.

The solar power revolutionized the lives of the Dharnai villagers. The outcome of solar power was the generation of 100 Kilowatt of energy that was enough to provide the much-needed power. Two schools, 50 commercial establishments, around 2400 residence, street lights, tube wells for farmers, and a health centre were powered and brought to life. And. this was not all, the provision of battery backup was provided to glide smoothly over cloudy days. The result was obvious, 24 x 7 power availability. The solar power affected the lives of all the Dharnai village residents for good.

Only two years have passed since the solar power started operating but they are enough to change the dynamics of the Dharnai village. Everything looks bright for Dharnai starting from health, financial stability and moving towards entertainment. Dharnai has prospered in every sphere. From years of darkness, rural inscription and illiteracy the Dharnai village seems to have moved ahead towards future and is enjoying the life in top gear.

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