Solar micro grid project launched in Odisha

Industrial Energy Limited (IEL), a joint venture of Tata Power and Tata Steel, today inaugurated a solar micro grid project at Baliapal village in Kalinganagar in Odisha.
The project will benefit 255 people at Baliapal village with uninterrupted power. The village was facing frequent power cuts that hampered studies of students and daily household works of women, a company release said.
The project is the first of its kind in Odisha with the community contributing 10 per cent of the total project cost and the rest 90 per cent by IEL, it said.
A micro grid is particularly a portion of the power distribution system that comprises of distributed generation, energy storage and loads.

Micro grids are robust in controlling the local voltage and frequency and protecting the network and equipment connected to the micro grid, it said.
The project will be managed by the Village Development Committee (VDC) consisting of 20 persons, including women.

The process of setting up rural micro grid project involves various stages including identification of village, consent from villagers for 10 per cent contribution, VDC formation and installing the project, it said.
Commenting on the initiative, Vijayant Ranjan, CEO-IEL and chief of Kalinganagar station, said the project will ensure reliable power for the villagers and contribute towards the government's objective of rural electrification.

Renewable energy sources and technologies have the potential to provide solutions to longstanding energy problems being faced by villages in India, he added.