SOLAR POWER SUPPLY TO VILLAGES
There are over 80,000
unelectrified villages in the country. Out of these about 18,000
villages are estimated to be located in the remote and difficult
areas of the country, which can not be electrified through extension
of the conventional grid-power. The Ministry has taken up a programme
for electrification of these remote villages through renewable
energy sources by the year 2012. Solar energy, biomass and small
hydro power are the main non-conventional energy sources, which
are likely to be used in the electrification of such villages.
A target for electrifying 5,000 such villages has been fixed for
the Tenth Plan period.
The renewable energy
programmes in Maharashtra are being implemented by the Maharashtra
Energy Development Agency (MEDA). During 2001-02, MEDA submitted
a list of 307 unelectrified villages in the state. The Ministry
has received a proposal from MEDA for the electrification of Sethbunder,
Rajbunder and Morabunder hamlets of the Gharapuri village on Elephanta
Island in Maharashtra through the installation of a solar-wind
hybrid system. The load estimates and other details are being
firmed up by MEDA. No amount has been sanctioned yet for this
project.
This information
was given by Shri M. Kannappan, Minister of State for Non-conventional
Energy Sources, in a written reply to a question by Shri Ashok
N. Mohol and Shri Ramsheth Thakur in Lok Sabha today.
