AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared Modhera in Gujarat as India’s first 24x7 solar-powered village, even as he sought to further cement his connect with the poll-bound state, saying people there had showered affection and given him electoral victories without looking at his caste.
“You never saw my caste, you never saw my political life. You gave your blessings for the last two decades,” he said.
Regarding Modhera, which also has a famous Sun Temple, Modi said, whenever people discuss solar energy in the world, this village will feature in it. “Government produces electricity and people purchase it. But we want people to be producers of power. Don’t pay for electricity; sell it and earn from it instead,” he urged.
“People of Modhera are both consumers and producers of electricity. The government is purchasing additional generated power. Such successful attempts must be replicated across the country,” he added.
The solarisation of the Modhera Sun Temple and town happened through partnership between the Central and state governments. It involved integrating the village with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Sujjanpura in Mehsana, about 6 km away from the Sun Temple.
More than 1,300 rooftop solar systems have been installed on houses for power generation. While day time power comes from the solar panels, at night it is supplied from the BESS. Modhera is also happens to be the first modern village having a solar based modern electric vehicle charging station.