With no maintenance and high tariff the village lost trust in the solar setup and switched to thermal power as soon as it became available.However, after three years due to lack of maintenance, the solar grid became non-operational and since then it has been lying defunct.Dharnai village in Bihar came into limelight in 2014 when the village got a solar mini-grid and was projected as the state’s “first solar village”.You are advised to exercise caution, discretion and independent judgment with regards to the same and seek advice from professionals and certified experts before taking any decisions.īy using this site, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In August 2014, Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited Dharnai village in Jehanabad district of Bihar to inaugurate a 100 kilowatt solar mini-grid in the village that would supply electricity. The project was showcased as a gamechanger for the state.
Today, the grid project site has turned into a cattle shed.Īfter the initial enthusiasm, once the solar batteries stopped working, there were no repairs or maintenance and the village subsequently got connected to the thermal power grid where electricity was accessible at a cheaper rate. With this, the sun set on the solar dreams of Dharnai.Īt the now defunct project site, the villagers told Mongabay-India that when Nitish Kumar came to inaugurate the project, some people protested against it, demanding grid-connected electricity or asli bijli (‘real’ power) rather than solar energy which they termed as nakli bijli (‘fake’ electricity). The chief minister in his speech at that time, told the villagers that thermal power is derived from coal, a resource which would diminish over time. It was only renewable energy like solar energy that would be a pure form of energy.
“After almost 30 years of darkness, it was the first time that the village had seen electricity and it was because of solar energy, 72-year-old Ran Vijay Sharma told Mongabay-India. “So there was a strong affinity towards it in the initial days. But even this solar installation came after around 45 households had moved applications (five years ago) in the electricity department seeking power connections.” Sharma recalled the day of the project’s inauguration.
It was a major event and with the chief minister himself at the village, everyone including local politicians, bureaucrats, media and people from nearby villages were in attendance. The village was showcased as the “first solar village” of the state, said Sharma, adding that the inauguration was followed by visits of senior bureaucrats, tourists, international visitors and others.
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