The Sunderban region of West Bengal India is a natural area for PV development. The region includes a group of islands in the delta of the Ganges River which are only accessible by boat and do not have access to electric power. The Sunderbans is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, and home to the last large population of endangered Bengal tigers (270 in 2011). Some villages have small, diesel powered mini-grid systems which provide 3 to 4 hours of electricity at night. But these systems are expensive, unreliable, and polluting. PV home power systems offer a decentralized, least-cost solution for bringing electricity to the population (estimated at 4 million people in 2003).

In 1996, Solar Works, Inc. and Remote Power International of Ft. Collins, Colorado partnered to deliver 300 PV home lighting systems and provided technical training for installers and program managers from the Ramakrishna Mission. The project, targeting the Sunderban region of West Bengal, India, was designed to bring low cost solar lighting systems to homes in remote villages. The Mission was chosen by the U.S. and Indian governments to be the non-governmental organization that would sell, finance, and oversee installation of PV systems provided through this project. Founded in 1897, the Mission runs schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages, and carries out rural development activities.

The home lighting systems delivered under this project include one 53-watt photovoltaic module, one 100 amp-hour deep-cycle storage battery, a controller, two 9-watt compact florescent lamps, and one DC outlet. Since the Sunderban region is at about 20 degrees latitude, it receives good solar insolation year round. Households with a one module PV system can run their lights for four to five hours a day, with occasional use of a radio or TV.

The first 300 home lighting systems were delivered as part of a demonstration project to test the reliability of the systems, and also to establish a market driven approach to PV development. These systems were purchased by Indian homeowners with low-interest financing through the Ramakrishna Mission. A decade later, as a result of this initiative, about 20% of the area’s population, approximately 216,000 people, are currently using solar PV electricity.

In addition to the 300 home lighting systems, several other types of solar electric power systems were delivered to the Ramakrishna Mission.  These include a water pumping system for irrigation, street lighting systems, a medical clinic power system, and two regional battery charging stations. The charging stations allow homeowners without PV systems to recharge a home battery for a small fee.