Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare Modhera village in Gujarat, which is famous for a centuries-old Sun temple built during the Chalukya reign, the country's first 24x7 solar powered village on Sunday. PM Modi will also lay the foundation for projects worth more than ₹3,900 crore in the village.
Here are five things to know about Modhera and the solar project:
1. The Modhera village is located 25 km from the Mehsana district of Gurajat, and about 100 km from the state capital of Gandhinagar. The village has a total geographical area of around 2,436 hectares and is located on the banks of the Pushpavati river in the state. It will be the country's first solar-powered village.
2. The village has a ground-mounted solar power plant, and over 1,300 rooftop solar systems with 1kW capacity have been installed on houses to generate electricity. All of these solar systems are linked to a battery energy storage system (BESS).
3. During the day, solar panels will provide power to the village, while in the evening, BESS, India's first grid-connected megawatt hour scale battery energy storage system, will provide power to the houses.
4. Both the central and state governments have invested over ₹80 crore in this solar-development project in two phases, with the state allotting 12 hectares of area for the project.
{{/usCountry}}4. Both the central and state governments have invested over ₹80 crore in this solar-development project in two phases, with the state allotting 12 hectares of area for the project.
{{/usCountry}}5. The Gujarat government stated that the project will make Modhera the first village in India to become a net renewable energy generator, demonstrating how renewable energy can empower people at the grassroots level. People in the village can save 60% to 100% on their electricity bills with this move.