In a move bound to bring hope to the power-bereft villages of Bihar, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has promised to aid the State government in ushering solar energy in its villages.
Addressing a function organized by the Bihar Legislative Council, TERI director Dr. R.K. Pachauri said that “solar energy could transform Bihar into a model state for the rest of India and the world to follow.”
Dr. Pachauri, who is also the chairman of the United Nation’s Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told Bihar Chief Minister Mr. Nitish Kumar that “TERI would aid in illuminating thousands of homes in the state, with no access to electricity, with solar lamps.”
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“We are most keen on supporting the 1.43 crore families residing in the villages of Bihar that are still using kerosene to light up their houses. The state’s use of solar energy will be a big leap for its people, who are forced to live in darkness,” said Dr. Pachauri.
Welcoming the alliance with TERI, Mr. Kumar stated that the “State Government would like every rural family to have one solar lamp.”
TERI has launched the “Light a Billion Lives” project, a campaign to take solar lighting devices around the world to rural communities.
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Stating that Bihar needed a massive supply of electricity to meet its demands, Mr. Kumar revealed that despite work being done in the sector, the number of electrical units per person in the state had risen from 72 to a paltry 90 units as against the national average of 600 units.
“Our daily demand is 2,000-2,500 MW,” said Mr. Kumar, adding that “Bihar received merely 800MW of power from the central pool despite the scheduled allocation of 1,553 MW per day.”