Kolkata: Bengal’s Department of Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources has proposed providing access to solar power to the small islands in the state, with 30 to 50 families on each, in the Sundarbans Delta and other rivers.
There are two major hindrances to providing power to these small islands from the conventional electrical grid.
Firstly, it is a costly proposition, and secondly, the electrical poles are often uprooted due to floods and storms, which these islands in the Sundarbans are prone to.
Solar panels would be fitted on the roofs of homes, and these would provide captive power for use by the household members.
Initially, a private agency, to be chosen through a bidding process, is going to be given the responsibility of maintenance, which would then be passed on to the gram panchayats. UNI