17 November 2004
Solar-powered
LED lighting could provide a solution for many thousands of villages in India -
and elsewhere - that do not have access to electricity lines.
India's
President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, recently inaugurated the 24th India
International Trade Fair, and discussed LED lighting in his keynote address. Dr
Kalam discussed the situation in the Nalgonda District of Andhra Pradesh, where
LED lighting using solar power has been implemented in a remote village
inhabited by Lambada tribespeople.
The
village has a population 142 people residing in thirty houses. The one time
cost of providing LED lighting for all the houses including wiring and solar
charging system for the battery was around 65,000 rupees (about US$1400).
On an
average, the cost of providing electricity per house works out to 2200 rupees,
said Dr Kalam. "This is definitely much cheaper than the cost of providing
electricity to the village through a power line traveling across many
kilometers and costing many hundreds of thousands of rupees."
The
installed LED power systems are self-contained, and the solar energy used to
charge the batteries is virtually free.
Particularly
in remote areas and hilly regions, electricity lines cannot be installed due to
the high initial cost of installation. "Presently I am told electric lines
have not reached over one hundred thousand villages in our country," said
Dr Kalam.
The
President recommended that the industrial community should study this project
for converting it as a business proposition, which can be taken by rural
enterprises for implementation in different sectors.
"Once
successful, this technology can find utility in many parts of the world where
similar situation exists," said Dr Kalam. This has tremendous business
potential."