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India Matters: Solar Revolution In Uttar Pradesh

In Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, private diesel generators power the rural economy. Noisy, polluting and expensive. The state electricity grid has reached some areas, but there is a chronic shortage of power. Those with connections get only a few hours of supply in a day and almost never during peak hours. Businessman Pradeep Kumar Shukla had to produce his own electricity when he set up a petrol pump near Pipargaon village. The village is 110 km from Lucknow. "When we started the petrol pump, there were so many power cuts that we had to totally depend on generator sets. These filling machines are computerised and cannot be operated manually. It cost Rs. 1.25 lakh to install the generator and we spent an additional Rs. 18,000 a month to run it," Mr Shukla Said.
 

Most of the 60 odd branches of Grameen Bank of Aryavrat in the district depend on diesel power. As do telecom towers, hospitals, colleges, small shops and other businesses.

But now that is changing. Companies based on renewable energy are bringing in a clean and reliable solution to these remote villages. One of these companies is Omnigrid Micropower Company or OMC. Founded by three former Ericson employees, OMC set up its first solar power plant in Jangaon village in Hardoi district three years ago. They received an overwhelming response and today they have 70 plants in Uttar Pradesh. Each plant has a capacity between 50 and 100 kw and each has a grid about one to 5 km long.

At the Pipargaon plant, we meet Rohit Chandra, Managing Director, OMC. He says the plant was commissioned eight months ago. "This place was taken on lease. The size of the plot will be about 900 sq m on an average and the technology has advanced so much that you can package a lot of solar power in a panel these days, which means you'll require a smaller footprint. So, a size like this is good enough to take you to about 100 kilo watts. We have a large storage bank here where we store power. And every of the plant has about 300 amp hour of storage. So when the sun goes away in the evening, the batteries are charged and able to give energy after sunset. From here the energy goes into inverters and rectifiers and is pumped on a 24X7 basis. The inverters are used for converting DC to AC to 130 volts," Mr Chandra said.

When this plant's distribution network increases, it will cover nearly 2,000 households and small businesses. Mr Shukla's petrol pump has an OMC solar power connection. Instead of the Rs. 18,000 a month he previously spent on diesel, he now spends only Rs. 4,000. "My electricity problem is fully solved. The company has stuck to its commitment of providing 24/7 power supply," he said.

Source : NDTV