Under its Solar Photovoltaic Applications Program, Winrock International India (WII) is implementing a solar photovoltaic project in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The goal of the project is to help the target beneficiary (mainly rural women) gain access to a lighting source that is reliable and clean, and uses renewable energy. This objective will be achieved through activities focused on building capacity of the rural women to access the energy source.

To facilitate this process, WII has established a field office in Bhadohi, near Varanasi, staffed by two professionals, Shahnaz Parveen, Project Coordinator and Mahendra Kumar Maurya, Project Officer.

The Program is being supported by a private enterprise.

Why eastern Uttar Pradesh?
Due to shortage of power and inefficiency of the grid, access to electric power is a major issue in Uttar Pradesh. While it is also a fact that a significant number of households even in electrified parts of the state are not connected to the grid, most areas - particularly in the rural parts of the state - have to face prolonged power cuts and erratic supply timings.

It follows that a large portion of the rural population - most of it poor - has to depend upon un-economical, un-replenishable and environmentally harmful options such as kerosene to meet their lighting requirements.

The project objective is to set up a mechanism that will allow a sustained market for solar lighting devices in eastern Uttar Pradesh in a manner that enables the poor to reap the benefits of this beneficial and economical technology.

To begin with, solar lanterns were introduced first, and based on the experience gained; other products such as centralized PV charging station, solar home lighting systems, solar torches, solar cookers were launched. This market mechanism for solar lanterns is designed to take advantage of existing market forces and no price subsidies or similar schemes for meeting part of the cost are planned. It has also been decided to take advantage of existing self-help-groups in the area to provide potential customers with access to micro-credit that will make the product affordable. Interestingly, the purchasers of solar lanterns shall have to pay only the amount that they earlier spent on kerosene for lighting purposes towards the monthly installment for this piece of equipment

Solar lanterns propagated under this project are rugged pieces of equipment that give about four hours of light every evening. They also have small night lamps that burn all night thus imparting a sense of security to the villagers.

The geographic area of the program includes 200 villages of Rampur and Ramnagar Blocks of Jaunpur district. WII has also identified promising clusters of villages where focused activities are being undertaken. WII has also developed a strategy to concentrate on women who are doing the embroidery work as part of IKEA’s other initiative in the region.

The total number of solar lanterns disseminated since June 2004 are over 1,000. Presently, the project team is developing one small village as a model solar village that would comprise of using different solar technologies such as solar lanterns, solar home lighting systems, solar street lights, solar water pumps for clean drinking water. Apart from this improved cook stoves are also being installed in the households.

For more information, contact:

Ms Shahnaz Parveen
Project Coordinator
Winrock International India
Hotel Glory, Station Road
Bhadohi - 221401
Uttar Pradesh
Tel:+91-5414-224026
+91-9415368943
Email:wii-bhadohi@winrockindia.org