Bihar’s “First Solar Village” Turned Into A Cattle Shed

Bihar's Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, visited Dharnai hamlet in the Jehanabad district of Bihar in August 2014 to inaugurate a 100-kilowatt Solar Mini-Grid that will provide power to the village. Since 1981, Dharnai has been without electricity. The initiative was hailed as a game-changer for the state. 

Grid Project Site, Now Converted Into Livestock Shed

After the initial enthusiasm faded, there were no repairs or maintenance when the solar batteries failed, and the community was eventually connected to the thermal power system, where electricity was available at a lower cost. Dharnai's solar dreams came to an end with this.

Villagers at the now-defunct project site said that when Nitish Kumar came to open the project, several residents protested, wanting grid-connected electricity, or Asli Bijli ("genuine electricity"), rather than solar energy, which they referred to as Nakli Bijli ("false electricity").

In his speech at the time, the Chief Minister warned the villagers that thermal electricity is sourced from coal, which is a finite resource. Only renewable energy, such as solar energy, might be considered a pure kind of energy.

"After nearly 30 years of darkness, the village saw power for the first time, and it was because of solar energy," Ran Vijay Sharma, 72, said. "In the beginning, there was a deep affinity for it." But even this solar installation arrived after 45 homes submitted applications to the electrical agency (five years ago) requesting power connections.

'First Solar Village'

Sharma remembers the project's official start date. Everyone was in attendance, including local politicians, bureaucrats, the media, and people from nearby villages, because the Chief Minister was in attendance. According to Sharma, the town was promoted as the state's "first solar village," with prominent bureaucrats, tourists, international visitors, and others paying visits after the inauguration.

The project was supported by other organizations such as the Center for Environment and Energy Development and Basix, a livelihood enhancement institution, and was funded by environmental NGO Greenpeace.

Rooftop solar systems have been erected on the roofs of the village's farmer training center, Panchayat building, Anganwadi centers, mini-stadium, and other important community structures.

When asked about the benefit from this project, Anil Kumar one a villager said, that “it brought many changes in the social life of the villagers”.