Solar
Power
TERI,
in collaboration with the Ramakrishna Mission (RKM), is empowering the
women of the Sunderbans to promote the use of solar power. This pilot
project has successfully created viable enterprises, on the supp
ly side, targeting
women entrepreneurs. These enterprises have been created not only to provide
solar PV-based services in remote and interior villages, but also to provide
repair and maintenance services to already existing products and systems.
An organizational set up, called MFEDO (Market Facilitating and Enterprise
Development Organization), has been created within the cluster organization
Kalpataru of the RKM, to oversee the development of these enterprises.
MFEDO provides comprehensive support by way of procuring raw material,
facilitating market linkages and forming Self-Help-Groups.
Its remote location, difficult landscape
and inadequate infrastructure dictate the need for solar-powered applications
in the Sunderbans. Situated in the southern region of Gangetic West
Bengal, it is a part of the world’s largest delta formed by the
rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. A network of small rivers, creeks
and waterways run through this area such that 70% of the Sunderbans
is under saline/brackish water. The Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, established
in 1989 to protect this environment and its biodiversity, has an area
of 9630 sq km. It consists of approximately 4444.33 sq km of human habitat
along with the entire forest area. There is only 42 km of rail and 280
km of metalled road in the entire inhabited area. So, waterways are
the primary means of commutation.
The entire Indian Sunderbans consists of 19 blocks of
which the southern blocks are relatively remote and inaccessible, separated
from the main land, and from each other, by wide rivers and creeks.
As a result, these areas are marked by an absence of roads and railways.
Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to extend a high-tension transmission
line to these areas due to its rough terrain. The remote mouzas/villages
of this part of the Sunderbans suffer from chronic shortage of energy.
Due to lack of such basic infrastructure, socio-economic development
of the region is also affected.
Against this background, energy interventions based on
alternate technologies, such as solar power, become viable. About 20%
of the area’s population, approximately 216,000 people, are currently
using solar PV electricity.
TERI has been working in this region for the past 8 years,
in partnership with the state government as well as with the NGO sector,
to promote the use of solar PV. The specific beneficiaries of this pilot
project were determined based on a recent study, which revealed that
women take pride in using the systems and demonstrate an eagerness to
learn about new designs and products. Men, on the other hand, once trained
to service the solar systems, migrate to the cities in search for better
opportunities. As a result, the project succeeds on two fronts –
empowering women and fostering sustainable development. 
To this end, the project provides women with initial training
and capacity building on the following techno-commercial aspects:
Identifying the market for products and services
Setting up
a workshop for the product testing and assembly
Procuring
material and goods to start businesses
Success Story
Thusfar, this project has helped 6 women become solar entrepreneurs.
These women are engaged in a variety of businesses including:
Charging and renting of solar lanterns on daily basis
Designing
and assembling small electronic items
Repairing
solar home systems
Apart from the financial independence, a sense of pride
arising from the newly acquired skill and confidence is the biggest
contribution of the project to the women of Sunderbans.
This initiative is sponsored by the National Renewable
Energy laboratory, USA. |
