Karnataka plans to light up 3,900 villages through solar power

State-owned Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL) this week invited bids from solar technology providers to design, finance, build, operate and maintain solar/hybrid power plants and collect user fee to provide solar energy on a sustainable basis for the requirement of village clusters.

These plants provide power either through a local mini-grid or stand-alone or make it available at a charging station, enabling residents to charge their electrical appliances.
Solar power is to be provided for street-lights, household consumption, entertainment/educational purposes, water-lifting for irrigation, drinking water supply, purification/desalination plants, deflourination, milk pasteurisation and local cottage industrial applications.

Solar power would be metered and made available at a fee determined in advance.

"Most of the targeted villages either have no electric supply or get poor voltage at present," KREDL, MD H G Shivanandamurthy said.

"We will play the role of facilitator in the project. Our interest is to see that the people get power at the lowest cost," he added.

Under the project, the state-run Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) and local distribution companies would allow use of existing village grids as per feasibility or provide new grids, if necessary, for the projects.

The project would initially have a concession period of ten years.

KREDL would be the facilitator along with the respective electricity supply companies in village clusters and would be coordinated by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayatiraj. Panchayatiraj institutions and Karnataka government would jointly stand guarantee for the user fee collection.

KREDL officials said the project contract finalisation and award is slated for August 24.

According to KREDL sources, energy requirement in these 3,900 villages is roughly estimated to be around 16MW.