Committed Towards Conservation of the Planet
Venkat Garimella, vice-president, Access to Energy and CSR, Schneider Electric India, shared how the largest nongovernment renewable energy initiative in the Sundarbans came into being.
Originally published on The Statesman
by Abhinay Lakshman
Bringing electricity to one of the most ecologically sensitive regions of the world is no small feat. This is the story of Project Sahasra- Jyoti, through which more than 1,000 forest fringe households in Sunderbans were electrified by establishing micro grids of renewable energy stations.
Started by World Wide Fund for Nature – India, this project aimed to provide forest fringe un-electrified villages in the Sundarbans access to clean energy solutions. The project addresses requirements of clean and sustainable home lighting solutions, and also helps mitigate risks of human-wildlife interaction.
In addition to this, the project has helped increase the quality of life in these communities by providing technological support and entrepreneurial guidance to the locals. Venkat Garimella, vice-president, Access to Energy and CSR, Schneider Electric India shared how this project was realised and finally implemented.
