The Modhera village, located in the Mehsana district of Gujarat, declared as India’s first solar-powered village.
Modhera has a deep, historical Sun connection, thanks to the Sun Temple, or Surya Mandir, it hosts on the banks of river Pushpavati.
The renowned temple was built close to a thousand years ago, in 1026-27 CE, during the reign of Chalukya King Bhima I (1022-1063 CE). Connecting the old and the new, Modhera, which hosts this ancient architectural marvel, is heading into a modern, renewable future through the production of electricity using the energy of the Sun.
This initiative came about from a programme led by both the centre and state, called the “Solarisation of Modhera Sun Temple and Town.” As part of the project, they developed a ground-mounted solar power plant in addition to installing 1,300 rooftop solar systems on top of residential and government buildings. The solar systems are integrated with a 15Mwh battery energy storage system. This makes up a 6MW grid.
Solar energy is thus available to Modhera round the clock. According to the Gujarat government, the village residents will be able to save 60 to 100 per cent on their electricity bills with the solar push.
