India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village declared 

We are now living in the time of climate change and it is no surprise that all the nations of the world are trying their best to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions to one of the major concerns, namely global energy crisis. Keeping this in mind, China and South Korea have been busy creating their respective artificial suns to ensure global and unlimited supply of solar energy. The good news is, India too isn’t far behind and is all set to welcome its first 24×7 solar-powered village.  

Named Modhera, this village is located in the Mehsana district of Gujarat on the banks of the river Pushpavati, and has recently been declared as the country’s foremost solar-powered village by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier known for its famous Sun Temple, Modhera will now be deemed as the country’s first and only round-the-clock solar-powered village till date and creating ultimate awareness for clean energy.  

Have you been wondering how Modhera was completely solarised? Well, that has got to do with the installation of a ground-mounted solar power plant in the rural location, alongside 1300 rooftop solar panels built on residential and government buildings. Interestingly, they have all been integrated with battery energy storage system or BESS. However, the best news perhaps is that, all this solar power is free of cost and can even be produced and used by the locals to share and sell with other states in exchange for money and other resources.  

For those unaware, Prime Minister Modi not only announced Modhera as the first solar-powered village but also laid the foundation stone to kickstart the initiative priced at INR 3900 crore. He declared similar other energy conservation and welfare projects dedicated to power and electricity, roadways as well as railways, irrigation, urban infrastructure, and water supply – that are together worth over INR 14500 crore. These have been initiated in the Modhera region as well as other parts of northern Gujarat such as Bharuch and Jamnagar. In addition, he also unveiled several other projects related to dairy, skill development as well as healthcare.  

For history lovers, here’s an overview of the Sun Temple of Modhera. It is located 70 kilometres south of the city of Ahmedabad and now stands as a magnificent stone relic built as part of the Chaulukya dynasty in 1026 BC, during the reign of King Bhima I. This Hindu temple is dedicated to the solar deity Surya and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. It was invaded twice, the first by Mehmood Ghazni and the latter by Allaudin Khilji. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Rama may have performed yajna at this temple site to cleanse himself of the sin of killing Ravana.