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Children of Rampura Village Receive the Gift of Light
First Community Based Solar Power
Plant Installed in Uttar Pradesh
Rampura,
17 km away from Jhansi in Bundelkhand, is the first village to get a
community based solar power plant (CSPP) in the country. Development
Alternatives, in collaboration with Scatec Solar of Norway, launched the
solar power plant in Rampura.
For the first time in the history of Rampura, its children can take
advantage of the electricity to study, play, listen to the radio and
watch TV in the evening, all through the power of solar energy. If the
children wanted to study after dusk, they would use kerosene lamps or
study in the light of small gas flames, says Vimla, but this was never
a safe solution. Now, they can really do well in life as they can study
for long hours.
The villagers do not have to finish their daily chores before dusk.
Shanti Devi says, Now I donft have to cook before dusk any longer.
Earlier I had to cook before darkness fell. Now my children can also
study at night.
The Rampura Community Solar Power Plant is a major step towards rural
electrification in India. The CSPP in Rampura has a capacity of 8.7 kwp.
Power is distributed through a mini-grid. A total of sixty-nine houses
are benefiting from this plant. Use of renewable and clean energy for
electricity generation has made Rampura self-sufficient in power supply.
The Community-based Solar Power Plant pilot project was initiated to
test the techno-commercial viability of deploying solar energy for
development in rural areas in India. The aim of this project is to
establish a model that is easily replicable and can facilitate a roll
out of CSPPs on a large-scale across India, says Dr Arun Kumar,
President, Development Alternatives.
In this solar power plant, community partnership has ensured
participation and ownership of the villagers right from the beginning. A
Village Energy Committee (VEC) has been established, initiating a major
step to enhance the knowledge and skills of the rural people in energy
management. Local micro-entrepreneurs are planning to set up their
enterprises in the village using the power supply from this plant.
Priority has been given for supplying power to agriculture, commercial
and domestic purposes. CPSP has also ensured the growth of the local
economy, which will further enhance the energy demand. It has created
awareness among the villagers to a process of adopting energy efficient
devices like sprinklers, solar-charged batteries and LED bulbs, energy
saving practices, etc.
The Norwegian Minister for the Environment and International
Development, Erik Solheim visited the village on February 6, 2009. told
the villagers, Your village draws its name from Lord Rama and you will
fight the demon of darkness (neglect, underdevelopment and
backward-ness) with the sunlight.
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