Thangjam Basanta Meitei (57) has at all times cherished the winter. However together with the nice chill that it heralds, winter additionally means shorter days. And this Basanta dreads. He clarifies he isn’t afraid of the evening; it’s bugs and rodents — which thrive at nighttime — that he detests.
Basanta belongs to the village of Yairipok in Manipur. One might blame its distant location coupled with episodes of ethnic violence for the unsteady energy provide, whose capricious dynamic would typically plunge the village into darkness quickly after sundown.
“As quickly as it will get darkish, bugs and rats would enter my home. Think about getting ready dinner, at nighttime with bugs in every single place. How might we cook dinner? How might we eat? How might we wash our plates at nighttime?” Whereas kerosene lamps and candles improved visibility, they did nothing to fend off the creatures. So, essentially the most possible factor was to name it a day. Basanta would go to mattress by 5 pm.
“We had powerful occasions,” he concludes; observe the usage of the previous tense. These days are actually behind him. You see, for the previous few years, Basanta’s house has been powered by photo voltaic power, as are many properties in Manipur. The darkness doesn’t dictate their schedule anymore, the Solar does.
Renewable power is respiration new life into rural India
The Sustainable Improvement Objectives (SDGs) recognised by the United Nations assert that inclusive growth is unimaginable with out guaranteeing equitable entry to wash and reasonably priced power. So, let’s flip our gaze to India’s hinterland the place 65 p.c of the inhabitants resides. Regardless of electrical energy being prolonged to over 800 million folks since 2001, 2.4 p.c of households stay unelectrified.
However now this statistic is about to alter as inexperienced startups mushroom throughout the nation. Their entry into these rural markets is marked by an try and deliver its folks respite within the type of photo voltaic microgrids. As Distributed Renewable Power (DRE) penetrates distant areas, specialists see it as a step nearer to the aim of power democratisation.
However the function transcends sustainability, factors out Shweta Jaju, co-founder and director, ONergy Photo voltaic. “It’s additionally about enabling livelihoods and bettering high quality of life.” That is backed by ONergy’s influence; the startup has empowered 1,000,000 lives via its photo voltaic options, which lengthen to households, companies, and farmers; affordability, accessibility and ease of adoption are the mainstays of their mannequin.
“We concentrate on simplified financing choices to make photo voltaic adoption simpler, together with authorities subsidies and versatile fee plans. This coupled with technology-driven options that guarantee environment friendly photo voltaic panel installations and native partnerships with store homeowners, electricians, and photo voltaic installers, helps create a powerful last-mile supply community,” Shweta elaborates.
However after all, breaking new floor isn’t simple.
Subsidies — a shot within the arm for adoption of inexperienced energy
There’s a $53 billion market potential for clear power in rural areas, studies recommend.
However even because the infusion of inexperienced energy into India’s villages is emphasised, startup homeowners discover themselves navigating bottlenecks. Shreya Mishra, founding father of SolarSquare, a startup that’s decarbonising the nation via its photo voltaic options, factors to the lack of know-how as the most important one to deal with. “In India, nearly 1 p.c of properties have adopted photo voltaic. Traditionally, buyer consciousness has been the most important bottleneck within the adoption of photo voltaic.” However, she sees the glass as half full. “India’s photo voltaic revolution is simply starting, buyer consciousness ranges are on the rise.”
One other presumption that these entrepreneurs discover themselves refuting is that harvesting the solar is an expensive ordeal. Shreys factors out, “Photo voltaic helps households lower your expenses and pays again in 4-5 years.” Nevertheless, she acknowledges that not everybody may be capable to make a down fee on photo voltaic panels. That is the place subsidy schemes play their half. Choosing the proper financing fashions and authorities schemes is essential to make sure that photo voltaic adoption doesn’t burn a gap in your pockets.
One of many world’s largest home rooftop photo voltaic initiatives, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), below which 10 lakh properties have been photo voltaic powered as of tenth March 2025. By collateral-free loans as much as Rs 2 lakh at a 6.75 p.c subsidised rate of interest via public sector banks, it’s accelerating the adoption of inexperienced power.
That is the facility of a mortgage. Pondering again to his scepticism about going photo voltaic, Basanta replays a dialog he had with SNL Applied sciences in Manipur. Based by Seth Moirangthem, the startup is without doubt one of the hottest bets for solar energy within the state. It isn’t simply their top-notch companies but additionally their EMI choices. “I advised Seth that I didn’t have a lot cash for photo voltaic panels (photo voltaic panels within the area value round Rs 40,000). So, he put me in contact with a accomplice NGO that gave me a mortgage and allowed me to pay it again over three years, by paying Rs 920 each month,” Basanta shares.
Seth is simply glad he might assist. His research had been typically interrupted by frequent energy cuts. “I do know the issues that folks in Manipur face. Within the monsoons, if an electrical line will get broken, the folks in that space should go with out electrical energy for six months,” he explains.
So, he was eager that his enterprise mannequin be hinged on social influence. Whereas the photo voltaic panels are guaranteeing college students uninterrupted hours of productiveness, the facility loom mission is a boon for the ladies on this area. Elaborating on it, Seth shares, “In our state, each lady works. Those that don’t have company jobs, weave. They often do that at evening after they’ve accomplished the family chores.”
The environment friendly electrical motors that powered the looms turned futile within the face of an influence reduce. Solar energy is a good antidote. The ladies aren’t anxious in regards to the energy provide hampering their work.
Loitongbam Sofia Devi, who has been weaving for years now, and is without doubt one of the beneficiaries of the solar energy loom, is thrilled. “Earlier than photo voltaic, I needed to cease my work round early night as a result of we’ve energy cuts right here. However now, I can maintain going. I’m additionally in a position to earn extra as a result of I weave extra. Ever since photo voltaic got here to us, we’ve had good days,” she says.
Is Seth planning to increase the state’s potential to reap the Solar? He smiles, including that he has his eye on photo voltaic microgrids (self-contained electrical networks which function alongside the primary grid). However their logistical necessities make them unconducive for a spot like Manipur, which is full of casual settlements and unorganised clusters. Right here, unbiased photo voltaic panels are a extra viable choice.
That being mentioned, microgrids are booming in different villages of India. Let’s have a look.
Releasing villages from the grip of the grid
Darewadi, a small hamlet in Maharashtra, was as soon as (in)well-known for its power disaster. The place was technologically exiled from the remainder of India. However at the moment, the village is characterised by its avant-garde power; TVs, music methods and water pumps run at full throttle. The uninterrupted provide of electrical energy offered by the photo voltaic microgrids put in by Gram Oorja, a inexperienced power initiative, makes this attainable.
Darewadi’s transformation is fascinating. And Kalki Vundamati, guide at Gram Oorja, beckons your consideration to the 150 different villages that mirror the identical success. As of 2025, the initiative has put in 152 photo voltaic microgrids thus electrifying over 6,200 households in distant off-grid villages.
“Our 770 photo voltaic pumping based mostly group irrigation methods have helped over 3,400 farming households farm past the monsoon as properly,” Kalki provides. With over 16 years of expertise in equipping villages with sustainable and community-driven power options, Gram Oorja brings a well-groomed gaze to the controversy of photo voltaic microgrids.
Its success lies in its mannequin. Villages are earmarked for photo voltaic adoption following a complete survey and neighborhood engagement workout routines, after which need-based methods are designed. The village’s skill and willingness to undertake new expertise is assessed, adopted by intense neighborhood interactions, which gauge the neighborhood’s skill and willingness to pay metered payments. The ultimate step is possession switch.
This ensures that photo voltaic adoption isn’t a fleeting inclusion, however as a substitute sustainable. Month-to-month tariff collections via a village committee checking account pin accountability on the locals. And the mannequin’s success is measured by a current research that Gram Oorja carried out, the place 74 p.c of villagers felt proud in regards to the photo voltaic installations being managed totally by neighborhood members. They shared the way it furthered their intent to assist in the maintenance.
Throughout the villages of India, this mannequin — of placing the onus of photo voltaic adoption and maintenance on the locals — is tasting success. Take as an illustration the ‘Bolega Bihar’ marketing campaign (2020) that pushed household-level adoption of decentralised renewable power options in Bihar’s Gaya and Nalanda, and noticed over 700 ladies leaders turn into stakeholders within the trigger, becoming a member of in solar-related discussions. In one other profitable instance, the Manyachiwadi village advocates for the same mannequin.
The village set a precedent changing into the primary in Maharashtra to be 100% electrified by photo voltaic. Nearly twenty years in the past, when typical power was reigning the scene, Manyachiwadi subverted the pattern by transitioning to photo voltaic. They began small. The ladies of the village started pooling in Rs 100 each month till the sum was sufficient to put in photo voltaic methods of their properties. At this time, they don’t pay a rupee for electrical energy.
A world past the panels
Rooftop photo voltaic and microgrids are improbable. However, whereas advocating for these, entrepreneurs see potential in photo voltaic gadgets resembling photo voltaic dryers, biogas grids and water pumps. These are an effective way to ease villages into the world of renewable power. And as soon as they see how profitable photo voltaic is, it would persuade them to spend money on panels.
Latika Patil from Dahanu, Maharashtra is one instance. She belongs to a household that has been cultivating chickoo for round 50 years. However the harvest would spoil when there weren’t as many patrons. After her retirement in 2015, Latika took a eager curiosity within the processing of fruits. At first, she resorted to sun-drying them however quickly stumbled upon the photo voltaic conduction dryer (SCD). The latter was extra beneficial.
“Below any climatic circumstances, the temperature of those plates [of the SCD] is maintained at 55-60 levels, which helps in conserving the vitamins, thus stopping the pure sugar content material within the fruit from caramelising to type a darkish color,” her son Ninad says. This methodology additionally extends the shelf-life of the fruits.
Whereas the photo voltaic dryers are one accent, photo voltaic water pumps are one other. Shweta of ONergy factors to how farmers have been seeing increased crop yields and diminished irrigation prices via the ONergy photo voltaic water pumps. “This enables them to be much less depending on costly diesel-powered pumps. This has led to elevated earnings and sustainable farming,” she factors out.
Equally, Gram Oorja wields its biogas cooking grids as one in every of its most outstanding improvements.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that within the final decade, solar energy has had a profound influence on India’s villages. This influence isn’t simply on small companies, but additionally on the mindsets of individuals like Basanta.
As he steps out for a stroll in his village, he can’t ignore the unforgiving Manipur warmth. That is going to be a scorching summer time, he thinks, vexed. Basanta has at all times cherished the winter. However the warmth may even imply extra daylight hours, which implies extra solar energy. Basanta begins to see the silver lining and satirically he finds it within the Solar.
Edited by Leila Badyari Castelino
