Of 3,300 Government-Installed Solar Mini-Grids in India, Only 5% Work: Study

New Delhi: Of the 4,000 odd solar mini-grids that have been installed in India – 3,300 are government financed and owned – “only 5 percent of the government grids are operational.”

This has been calculated this year by Smart Power India, and published by The Washington Post. Smart Power India is a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Solar energy and India being a world-beater has been a recurring theme in the Modi government’s political campaign. But the report says the Indian experience is emerging as a “cautionary tale” for the rest of the world as it rushes into renewables.

Modi government push to solar

In his 94th episode of Mann ki Baat in October, 2022, PM Modi had talked up solar power and said; “Linking its traditional experience with modern science, India is amongst the leading nations in generating electricity from solar energy.” He added that added that solar energy has transformed the lives of the poor and middle class in India. 

Last year, Modi had declared Gujarat’s Modhera village as the country’s first fully solar-powered village. According to the Gujarat government, more than 1,000 solar panels have been installed on houses in Modhera, generating electricity round the clock for the villagers. It was said that villagers will be provided with solar electricity at zero cost.

The Washington Post cites how these solar villages had met a sad fate. Bihar claimed the first “solar village” in 2014. But, says the newspaper, seven years on Mongabay-India reported that the village’s power station “had been turned into a cattle shed.” A study by Aviram Sharma, a researcher in Bihar, said “almost half of the village’s solar connections went out of use within two years”. 

Grid not working driving lack of trust in technology

Experts have been cited, who say that these grids are “sunken costs”, and the technology is “not working.” They have termed this “a waste of public and philanthropic money – mainly because we didn’t manage the technology well.”

Reporting from Jharkhand’s Barbera, villagers are quoted as saying “We want real electricity.” The grids have turned non-functional in other cases from the Sunderbans in West Bengal, where experts say that problems emerged when batteries had to be changed.

In Jharkhand, Washington Post learnt that “at least 90%” of the state’s over 200 mini-grids are non-functional. 

There are problems with upkeep and maintenance which have further reduced community trust in these grids. Locals call them “baby grid or fake grid”, as per the newspaper.

Trouble elsewhere too

There is trouble with disposal of batteries not being considered very safe, because in landfills, “toxic material may leech out”, an expert told The Washington Post.

Netherlands, Uganda and Nigeria have also run into trouble over upkeep and maintenance of solar plants.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.