Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Modhera village of Gujarat as the first 24X7 solar-powered village of the country on Sunday, 9th October. The village, located on the banks of the Pushpavati river, has a ground-mounted solar system and more than 1300 rooftop solar systems, with 1 kW capacity, installed over houses and government buildings. According to the statement released by the government, all solar power systems are connected to a battery energy storage system (BESS). During the day, solar power systems power the houses. At night, BESS, India’s first grid-connected megawatt hour scale battery energy storage system, will provide power to the houses.
The Gujarat government has allocated over 12 hectares of land for this initiative. Moreover, the state government and the government of India (GOI) have invested over ₹80.66 crores, on a 50:50 basis, to make the village energy independent.
The Gujarat Government has claimed that with this solar initiative, Modhera will become a net renewable energy generator. Residents of the area will be able to save 60-100% of their electricity bills.
Now, Modhera has a cumulative installed capacity of 6 MW. However, the roughly 8,500 people in the village only consume about 1 MW of energy (5000-5500 units). The surplus energy is transmitted back to the grid.
“People of Modhera are both consumers and producers of electricity. The government is purchasing additional generated power. Such successful attempts must be replicated across the country,” PM Modi stated on Sunday.
Modhera is located 100 km from the state capital Gandhinagar and has a geographical area of 2,436 hectares. The village is known for its famous Sun Temple. On Sunday, PM Modi also announced that this renowned heritage would acquire a solar-powered 3-D projector to inform tourists about the rich history of Modhera. Further, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of multiple projects worth ₹3,900 crores in the village.
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Resource: The Economic Times
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