< 1/2 >

Sagar Island is in the southwestern corner of the Ganges Delta, in India. It is the largest of hundreds of islands that make up the Sundarbans, a delicate ecosystem of tidal mangrove swamps and waterways that spread across the mouth of the River Ganges.

Sagar's main town, Gangasagar, is a sacred pilgrimage site. In January each year, over a million people flock to the island to celebrate the festival of Makar Sankrati, bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges at dawn and worshipping at the temple to purify their souls. Two days later the island returns to normal - to a population of 200,000, who have no conventional electricity supply.

The West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) has been working on Sagar Island since 1996 to address the problem of energy supply. Since then it has set up a total of 11 small solar PV power plants, on Sagar Island and its neighbour Maushuni Island. Each plant has its own mini-grid system that distributes electric power to the surrounding villages. The grids are switched on for six hours a day, from 6pm to midnight, and are managed by cooperative societies formed by the villagers that use the power.

The grid systems have had a dramatic effect on island life. Around 1,600 families are now enjoying electricity from them, small businesses have opened up and children are able to use good quality light to do their homework after dark. Literacy rates have improved and the island economy has been boosted by the new businesses and by the extended working hours.

WBREDA has installed about 80 solar streetlights around Sagar Island. The grids power some of these but most are 'standalone', so that they can provide light all night long, the grid being switched off at midnight. The streetlights make the island safer at night - not least because it is now possible to see snakes before you step on them!
Two hospitals on the island now have a 24-hour supply of energy. One has its own solar plant, while the other is connected to a mini-grid, with diesel generators providing power during the hours when the grid is switched off.