As part of their corporate social responsibilities (CSR), companies are taking significant initiatives in developing monumental projects that meet the varied needs of backward societies in India. The inclusion of solar power can exponentially enhance the impact of these projects. Many solar projects in India are now a part of these CSR initiatives. Furthermore, these CSR and solar projects in India can help increase the adoption of renewable energy in the country. 

What sets solar projects in India a step above other technology-driven projects? 

The advantages of solar projects in India are manifold: 

• Easy to implement
• Seamless & self-powered application
• Low maintenance cost
• Renewable natural resources ensure an uninterrupted supply of facility

What prompted the Dhamodi Rural Development CSR Project?

Water scarcity was a perennial tribulation of the inhabitants of Dhamodi, a small village near the Tapi River in Maharashtra. The village is home to a close-knit clan of tribal people, who have tuned their lives to grappling with water shortages for generations.

What created water scarcity despite the presence of a river?

Tapi, the closest water source, is at a geographical distance of only 5 km but, more significantly, at a depth of 350 metres. Also, this seemingly close water resource is anything but easily accessible!

• The terrain is steep and not conducive for any mode of conveyance, let alone carrying water from the river effortlessly. Bear in mind that the water containers are empty & light while going downhill towards the river and full while climbing back uphill.
• The height difference does not allow for the natural gravitational flow of water, which makes constructing canals pointless.
• Electricity-powered solutions, too, are rarely viable in such remote locations.

The CSR Initiators

The Rural Development project in Dhamodi was a joint venture of Diganta Swaraj Foundation (NGO) & ASB International Pvt Ltd (Japan). It was designed, executed, and supported by Nimbus as one of the most unique solar projects in India.

The Final Design – A touch of true genius!

Stage 1

On the banks of Tapi, a solar power station was erected to power the first submersible pump that would lift water from the river to a reservoir constructed midway to Dhamodi.

Stage 2

A second solar power station was built close to the reservoir to power a second submersible pump that pushes the collected water upwards to a tank in Dhamodi. This second pump has been designed to work perfectly with the first pump. It prevents the reservoir from overflowing and maintains the required water levels.

Stage 3

The tank in Dhamodi, not only provided water but was also fitted with a gravitational filter to provide clean and purified drinkable water. The total capacity of the tank is a robust 10,000 litres. The gravitational filter incorporated in this design is far from ordinary. Not only does it work without any power source, but it also provides quality drinking water.

Plumbing – the arteries of the design

The plumbing network designed by Nimbus was intricate and ensured that the water was distributed to all hamlets of Dhamodi.

1. Ten taps stations were installed at different strategic locations in the village to distribute water evenly.
2. The plumbing also used valves, which help in the regulation and flow of water throughout the system.
3. Additional plumbing was done to veer the course of excess water (through an overflow pipe) to the village well, thus making water continuously available and preventing any wastage.
4. The steep height of 350 metres from the water source to Dhamodi was a daunting gravitational challenge. The precision and functionality of the plumbing system were the cornerstones in overcoming this seemingly impossible feat.

DHAMODI – From DRY to DRENCHED!

The establishment of the solar power station system became a phenomenal technological intervention eliminating the two major pain points of the Dhamodi tribe –

“Fetching water for domestic use” and “Drinking water scarcity”.

• Respite from the tedious routine of procuring water:

The women in Dhamodi expressed gratitude and happiness by providing a 24/7 water supply. They are delighted at the efficient design of tap stations, allowing them the ease of filling water at the drop of a hat. Before, they had to spend nearly the entire day walking the river path to and from to meet daily water requirements. With the water now coming to them, more and more women and young people in Dhamodi have the time and scope to engage in other productive occupations in the region.

• Drinking water – An added bonus!

The facility providing filtered water for drinking was a touch of real value engineering. It has sealed the deal for a happy & healthy Dhamodi forever.

250 Families & Counting!

The fact that the project was powered by solar has ensured that it is not dependent on any electricity resource. It will be consistent, dependable & easy to maintain. This joint initiative has touched the lives of more than 250 families spread over all the hamlets of Dhamodi.

Nimbus Solar: Bringing CSR and solar projects in India together

The Dhamodi project was conceptualised & implemented by Nimbus Solar (Nimbus Irrigation Pvt Ltd). – a solar power-driven organisation helping companies leverage renewable resources of energies for materialising transformative endeavours towards the welfare of society.

Nimbus is now spearheading the solar revolution wave and helping facilitate solar projects in India.

Contact us to plan and build your next CSR project around solar power.

Website: https://nimbussolar.in/

A single 2-day trip to a village in India was enough to help me realise the truth of rural development in India. I’ve often wondered when the day would come when India will receive the status of a “developed nation”. After all, we have all the modern facilities and live in air-conditioned homes. We have premium medical facilities, bullet trains, expressways, fast-growing economies, world-leading fortune 500 companies, and so on. However, step into a village, and you’ll find the sequestered truth about India and the conditions under which most of the country, 69%, lives. I went through a typical day in the life of a villager. Seeing this vast difference between our lives was an eye-opening experience. 

Life in the day

A typical day starts even before the sun’s rays hit the ground. In the faint light, you’ll find men, women as well as children walking great distances, sometimes as far as 2km, to the nearest water source to fill empty buckets, bottles, and large cans with water for use by the family for washing, cleaning, cooking and even drinking. 

• The lucky few with wells on their premises spend the better part of their morning manually tugging on the ropes to lift the water from the well one bucket at a time.
• Since most villagers are farmers, their dependency on the water is very high, especially for the irrigation of their crops. Men and women spend most of their day tending to their farmlands. During dry seasons, with wells and nearby water bodies barren, there is little they can do but watch their crops dry up and wither before their eyes.
• While parents tend to business, the children who are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to get an education find themselves in sub-standard schools that have an erratic power supply, if any at all. Staying focused during lectures is hard enough, but doing so in the sweltering heat and bad lighting is practically unimaginable.

These are just some problems in a typical day of life in a village. However, the solution is simple – Solar power. Here’s a list of solutions Nimbus Solar has successfully implemented in various villages to address rural development in India.

The Solar Solutions

• Solar-powered rural water transportation – These systems use solar pumps to transport water from different sources over a distance or height. These systems address rural developments in India by solving water shortage issues in hilly areas at altitudes as high as 200m and distances as much as 2 Km from the water source. Click here to know more: http://bit.ly/2I8M6HK

• Solar-powered irrigation solutions – Starvation still haunts our nation. In India, the people who do not have enough food to feed their families are the same people who supply food to the rest of the nation – our farmers. To protect this section of our society, we have designed and executed several projects to help increase their income and bring about ease in farming practices. The key to raising their incomes and boosting production to meet the growing demands lies in proper irrigation practices, enhanced organisation, community farming, and efficient land utilisation. Our endeavours could inspire many other efforts to improve rural development in India. We are attempting to revolutionise farming practices by introducing solar power to as many farmers as possible. Solar pumps help power drip irrigation systems, mobilise natural water sources for farmlands irrigation, power lift irrigation systems, etc. Click here to know more: http://bit.ly/2I6zFMj
• Solar power for schools and colleges – These solutions aim at providing schools with a reliable source of energy during school hours. Schools benefit from solar power as they require electricity only during the day and do not need to invest in batteries. Click here to know more: http://bit.ly/2I5iI55

Life at night

• The gravity of this grim situation indeed strikes once the sun sets. With no access to grid electricity in most homes, darkness ensues post 7 pm. These homes rely heavily on kerosene lanterns to brighten up an otherwise bleak world. It is then that you truly realise how we city dwellers have taken electricity for granted. The darkness in villages is absolute. It is something you will never be able to experience in a city.
• The kerosene lamps they use in their homes exude harmful fumes, which can cause severe damage to human lungs when inhaled over long periods. Adults and children alike are exposed to these fumes all their lives.
• In the rare instance where a child in these villages attends school, they cannot study in the evenings due to the shortage of light.
• Most of these houses do not have toilets. So nature calls at night would require one to walk into the wilderness in the dark with a lantern in hand, which is no short of a scene from a horror film.
• The absence of fans only adds to discomfort in these rustic homes.
• The stillness, the lack of air movement, the lack of light, and the sweltering heat are visions of life in a village on a typical night.

The Solar Solutions

• Even if a government body focuses on these remote villages, extending electric grid lines to such great distances can be challenging and expensive. What’s the next best option? Solar energy. Rural development in India could significantly benefit from the use of solar energy. 
• In one of the CSR projects by Nimbus, more than 1000 homes in a village were lit up by installing the NIMBUS SOLAR HOME LIGHTING KIT. This kit includes a solar panel, 3 LED bulbs, 1 LED tube light, and a DC fan. These kits have contributed their share to rural development in India. This simple yet effective project allowed thousands of village dwellers to finally enjoy the simple luxuries of life by protecting these families from harmful kerosene fumes, saving on kerosene costs, and providing better light for the children to study after sunset. Click here to know more: http://bit.ly/2I5ZyMg

• Nimbus implemented a project with an NGO to install solar-powered drinking water booths to deal with sanitation and water issue. The project provided clean drinking water to all these households. The run-off water from the filtration units was then fed into toilets built in these households. It not only safeguarded their hygiene and sanitation but also helped restore the dignity and peace that is rightfully theirs. This project is a perfect example of how a simple solution can improve rural development in India. Click here to know more: http://bit.ly/2I9KRIg

The problems in rural development in India are grave, but the solutions are simple and easily achievable. Although the Indian government’s efforts towards putting in place infrastructure for electrification deserve mention, they are insufficient. We at Nimbus are committed to making the villages more habitable and providing the villagers with the basic amenities that will help them live a life of dignity, respect and comfort. However, we cannot do this alone and need your help. So let’s join hands and put together our resources and guide India towards better rural development in India, one village at a time.

Website: https://nimbussolar.in/

What do domestic solar kits in India mean?

India has the largest population that does not have access to electricity or an interrupted power supply. The number is roughly 304 million, constituting 6% of the urban and 33% of the rural population.

What’s the cost of having no electricity?

Lack of electricity has enormous implications – families forego entrepreneurial endeavours, children cannot study after dark, and health and women are burdened with time-consuming chores such as pounding grain or hauling water, leaving them with less time to engage in income-generating activities. If organizations take the initiative through CSR to energize the household with electricity, it will undoubtedly affect the whole community. Energy will bring more income to the household and the scope of education, leading to higher productivity and development for individuals in the community.

The implementation part is straightforward.

The solar power will charge the battery through an inverter, which will power the household electric appliances. The system will power daily household equipment and irrigation system for a particular number of hours in the day and after sunset.

The system – 

Domestic solar kits in India are comprised of the following components –

• Solar source
• Inverter
• Battery
• Fan
• CFL bulbs
• Pump
• Storage tank
• A small drip irrigation system and
• A water filter

Power stored in the battery will pass through an inverter, and it will run a fan, CFL bulbs, and a pump. The pump will feed water into a storage tank from the nearby lake or groundwater. Water in the storage tank will be used for drip irrigation, drinking water, and other household chores.

What can be the impact of this project –

These kinds of projects broadly impact individuals, families, and the community. These projects encourage education, empower households, provide better earning opportunities, and have a healthy life.

To add to the impact list, here are some pointers –

1. Reliable access to energy will make their summers more comfortable; increase their productivity hours, thereby increasing the per capita income and standard of living.
2. Encourages sustainable development & food security and helps empower rural households by providing them means to indulge in backyard farming. The product can then be sold at the local market or used for self-consumption.
3. Women burdened with time-consuming chores are relieved, giving them a chance for better livelihood, income opportunities, self-sufficiency, and independence.
4. Solar run bulbs will replace kerosene, which produces toxic fumes and black carbon, and increase the risk of burns.
5. Providing a better study environment and opportunities for children improves school enrollment.
6. The system helps to reduce carbon footprint and wastage of water and enhance green technology.
7. The project will give the families fundamental rights for a better life, such as electricity and running water.
8. This project combines energy conservation, water management, agricultural revolution, educational impetus, and women empowerment.

Project Viability:-

Domestic solar kits in India will have a significant impact on the lives of the people. Each household’s system will give them a sense of belonging and contribute towards its up-keeping. The warranties and guarantees on the products will ensure that suppliers deal with any issue swiftly and efficiently.

After 5 years of supportive system service, the pump, battery, and inverter cost relatively less, and the households can buy this from sales of products and savings from alternate fuels. Every person in a household can do the maintenance and cleaning, and the panels need to be cleaned weekly.

Website: https://nimbussolar.in/