Solar energy to light dark villages in Mizoram

Jun 19, 2007 - zeenews.com

The Mizoram government, with the help of Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, has chalked out a comprehensive one-year vision plan to provide electricity to all un-electrified villages, including households, through renewable energy resources by 2007.

The project aims to give power to un-electrified households and the much needed energy to industrial sites in the state.

Mizoram, endowed with rich forests, would identify all kinds of available degraded wastelands irrespective of private lands, council lands, unclassed areas, revenue lands to tap the non-conventional energy resources in various forms.

Renewable energy resources include solar energy, wind energy, water energy from bamboos and biomass.

According to the blueprint, the government, under its Zoram Electronic Development Agency (ZEDA), has constituted district advisory committee in all district headquarters under the chairmanship of respective Deputy Commisioners with members from various organisation and experts that would conceive and oversee the implementation of the programmess envisaged under the new project.

"Our department has already started taking initiatives for the effective implementation of the government`s non-conventional energy policy in a phased manner," project co-ordinator of Zeda, Benjamin L Tlumtea told reporters.

Under the new energy policy, apart from giving power to the unelectrified villages through renewable sources, the government, under the advisory committee would soon make a law to use solar water heater systems mandatory for all government buildings.

Besides this, we have invested Rs 37 crore to provide stand alone Solar Photo voltaic (SPV) power plant of 25 kw capacity at district civil hospital, TNT Calvary Hospital, maternity hospital and other health centres across the state capital, he said.