The Indian state of Gujarat is leading the solar revolution, with Modhera being the first solar-powered village in the country. This has set a precedent for Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He considers this to be “a reconciliation between humankind and planet.” This project has reportedly supplied the citizens of this village with a surplus of renewable energy at a minute cost – only $9.7 million.
The bill that was listed for the solar project was then split between the state government of Gujarat, and the Government of India. Euronews further reported that Mr. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of the country, had proclaimed this village in the western state of Gujarat to be powered by solar energy 24×7. The state government claimed that this would help the residents save around 60% to 100% of their power bills.
A resident of this solar-powered village, Gadvi Kailashben, stated, “Earlier, when solar was not there, I had to pay huge amount for the electricity bill- close to 2,000 rupees. However, with the installation of the solar, my electricity bill is now zero. Everything from the refrigerator to the washing machine now runs on solar in my house. I am not paying even 1 rupee electricity bill now.” Euronews further reported that around 30 acres of the village now had rooftops and solar panels. And these panels were providing more energy than what the villagers consumed daily.
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The Only Solar-Powered Village In India Has An EV Charging Station Near The Sun Temple
The chief project officer of Gujarat Power Corporation Limited- the enterprise behind the solar-powered village, Rajendra Mistry went on to state- “There are three major components to this entire project. One is our ground-mounted 6-megawatt project. The second is the 15-megawatt battery storage system and the third is the one-kilowatt rooftops installed on 1,300 houses.” It has also been in the news that solar power has been a source of surplus income for the villages. The village simply sells any surplus power to the electric grid.
Another resident of this solar-powered village, Ashaben Mahendrabhai, stated, “We work in our farm and used to pay huge electricity bills for agriculture. Since solar installation in our village, we are now saving a lot of electricity. Earlier our electricity bill used to come around 2,000 rupees. Now it is in minus.” Incidentally, the UN Secretary-General had an intuition that Modhera would be able to do something impressive when he visited the Sun Temple on the banks of river Pushpavati. Guterres stated, “One thousand years ago, the ancestors of those that live today in this village built this marvelous Temple of Sun. And they did it recognizing that the origin of all energy that we have on Earth comes from the Sun.”
The temple also gets its power from solar panels. And the latest developments include a parking area that has EV charging stations, as well as a 3D light show. Guterres also added that due to the solar project, the village was transforming into something, “more healthy, giving them more prosperity, but at the same time contributing to rescue our planet from a climate change that is still rising without control.”
According to the Economic Times, the solar-powered village was definitely a matter of pride for the whole country. Prime Minister Modi went on to state, “Modhera, which is associated with the Sun Temple, will also be known for its strides in solar energy. Big day for Modhera as it takes a giant leap towards harnessing solar power.”
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