By Andalib Akhter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that India has become one of the biggest countries to generate electricity from solar energy. Addressing the nation in his Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio today, the Prime Minister said the whole world is looking at solar energy as the future.
Prime Minister said, “Today, India is combining its traditional experiences with modern science, that is why, today, we have become one of the largest countries to generate electricity from solar energy.”
For India, sunlight is available in abundance alongside technologies to harness and convert it into electric power. To achieve this, Solar photovoltaic power can be effectively harnessed providing huge scalability across the country.
Starting from the villages, India has begun optimal utilization of Solar Energy resource that not only fulfil Sustainable Energy Goals but also fills the pocket of those who harness it!
Mr Modi also mentioned that several IITs are working together on a multilingual project that makes learning local languages easier. This project will help the new National Education Policy in achieving those goals as well.
Infact, how solar energy is changing the lives of the poor and middle class of India can also be a subject of study. The First Solar powered village of India, Modhera, has established itself as the nation’s first hamlet to be powered by solar energy.
Modhera Surya Gram – No bill, Extra Income
Most of the houses in Modhera Surya Gram, located in the Mehsana district of Gujarat, have started generating electricity from solar power. Many houses in the village get zero electricity bill at the end of the month, instead, they receive a check from the ‘electricity income’ that is being generated.
In the daytime, solar panels provide power to the village, while in the evening, BESS, India’s first grid-connected megawatt-hour scale battery energy storage system, provides power to the houses.
“Seeing this happen, now people of many villages of the country are writing letters to me stating that their village should also be converted into Surya Gram,” PM Modi said in his Mann Ki Baat hoping that “the day is not far when the construction of Suryagrams in India will become a big mass movement.”
Today, Modhera meets its complete electricity requirements with a 6 MW solar plant with a 15 MWh battery energy storage system on 12 hectares (0.12 km2) of land located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the village. About 271 houses (of the 1600 houses) in Modhera have installed rooftop solar systems. With this, people in the village can save 60% to 100% on their electricity bills.
Driven by the example of Modhera village, India is now working in the direction where the producer and the consumer of electricity are the people themselves.
The Prime Minister said that the Chhath festival is being celebrated in many parts of the country today. He prayed for everyone’s prosperity and well-being, saying that the tradition of worshiping the Sun is proof of how deeply Indian culture and faith are related to nature. He said the festival of Chhath also emphasizes the importance of cleanliness.
The Prime Minister said that National Unity Day will be observed tomorrow, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. On this day, Run for Unity is organized in every corner of the country. He said this race strengthens the thread of unity in the country and inspires the youth.
Gurupurab will be observed on the 8th of November. Mr Modi said that throughout his life, Guru Nanak Dev spread light for the sake of humanity. He highlighted that in the last few years, the country has made many efforts to spread the light of Gurus to the masses.