Success of Solar PV lighting comes to light

Under a USAID-supported RECOMM project a few years ago, Winrock International India gave a grant to Kala Raksha (Preserving Art), a grassroots NGO in Kutch, Gujarat, to set up solar PV lighting system at their workshop. Kala Raksha works toward preserving and presenting cultures of ethnic communities of the region through its traditional arts.

Electricity supply in Kutch is highly erratic. Even when there is power, there is constant fluctuation, severely affecting productivity of the workshop. Kala Raksha found that the staff was not able to use the computers neither were the artisans able to use their sewing machines without having them damaged. In 1999, Kala Raksha installed a solar PV system with Winrock International India's grant. It served two purposes: enhanced productivity and income, and served as a demonstration project for the region on the advantages of using solar PV.

The high success of the project is expressed in the own words of the Kala Raksha Manager, Judy Frater, written immediately after the Gujarat earthquake in 2001.

"I hope you have received the email I sent saying that I am safe. We are all ok at Kala Raksha . The center was not damaged at all, and miraculously, the solar energy system survived untouched! We were the only people with electricity in all of Kutch for days! So, we supplied the local section of the village with light, and even lit a wedding which was not cancelled despite the disaster.

"So, we offer our heartfelt thanks to Winrock International India and USAID once again. Our solar system has made our lives that much easier in a very difficult time."

"Best wishes,
Judy Frater
Kala Raksha near Bhuj, Gujarat"