- Odanthurai, a model village in Tamil Nadu that adopted a renewable energy mix, offers several lessons on the challenges of implementing a community initiative on renewable energy.
- While solar lights went defunct with lack of maintenance, other renewable energy initiatives in the village such as night soil-linked biogas plant and biomass gasifiers had issues with maintenance, unpleasant odour and escalating costs.
- Experts say decentralised renewable energy (DRE) models can play a significant role in energy access. Effective community participation right from project conceptualisation, customisation based on community inputs and engaging local workers are crucial for its success.
This is the first article in a two-part series on lessons from Odanthurai’s ambitious renewable energy experiments. Part Two will highlight the attempt at a community-owned windmill that faces an uncertain future, but the village’s hopes to pursue renewable energy remain.
In recent years, Odanthurai, a village in Tamil Nadu, gained recognition as a self-reliant model village and has been appreciated internationally for its use of renewable energy. Its renewable energy endeavours, however, crumbled under neglect and became economically unviable, revealing the complexities of implementing such community initiatives.
The transformation of Odanthurai, a village in the Coimbatore district, began in the late ’90s when infrastructure development brought about a spike in the panchayat’s electricity costs. This triggered the idea of using renewable energy sources for the panchayat’s electricity needs.
“When I was elected as the president of Odanthurai panchayat, Karamadai Block in 1996, the village was under-developed,” said R. Shanmugam. “At that time, our electricity bill for the panchayat was Rs. 2000 per billing cycle.” Shanmugam, who, as the panchayat’s president, worked on developing infrastructure in the village, shared, “We increased the number of streetlights from 55 to 375. We built a water supply station with a filtering unit, ensuring a round-the-clock supply to all the villages. These developments hiked our electricity bill, while our annual revenue was only Rs. 20,000 per year. Despite implementing rigorous tax assessment and collection procedures, the persistent financial deficit made me consider renewable energy options to reduce the financial burden of the panchayat,” he added.
The success story of Odanthurai, with a population of over 5399 people and 1529 houses, is often presented as a case study for smart use of energy, winning it awards. It has inspired other panchayat leaders to plan projects to harness renewable energy.
The situation in Odanthurai today, however, also presents learnings from failure and a cautionary reminder of the elements needed to sustain renewable energy initiatives over the long term.
Solar energy initiatives in the village, including solar streetlights and solar-powered houses, dwindled because of battery failure, lack of maintenance and limited functionality, resulting in reduced impact and reliance on the grid for electricity. The implementation of night soil-linked biogas plants in the village faced obstacles such as unpleasant odour, and limited awareness about its benefits, leading to suboptimal performance and failure. The use of biomass gasifiers fuelled by firewood proved economically unviable due to escalating firewood costs, labour expenses and improper mapping of biomass availability, highlighting the importance of considering local resources and supply chain management in biomass projects.
Soaring costs hamper biomass electrifier
“Initially, the Kallarpudhur tribe’s colony was completely illuminated with solar streetlights in 2001. But this led to only a 5% reduction in electricity costs. So, biomass gasifier technology, fuelled by firewood, was installed in 2004 to power the water treatment plant, significantly decreasing our electricity expenses. I further extended the solar streetlights to the entire Vinobhaji Nagar,” shared the former president of the panchayat, Shanmugam.
The 9 KW biomass gasifier was soon unsuccessful. “Initially, the cost of firewood and labour worked out at Rs. 1.75 per unit against the conventional electricity costing at Rs. 3.50 per unit. But in four years, the cost of firewood nearly tripled from 60 paise to Rs. 1.60, thereby equalising grid costs, after factoring in labour expenses,” he told Mongabay India.
G. Thangavel, the current president of Odanthurai, said, “Currently, the price of firewood has escalated to Rs. 4 per kilogram. Additionally, cutting firewood requires significant labour demanding Rs. 1000 per day, rendering the project financially unviable.”
Diverting firewood towards the gasifier itself is a contentious idea. “Numerous industrial processes heavily depend on firewood for fuel. However, diverting the firewood towards gasifiers can disrupt the existing supply chain for these industries,” said Ranju Gopal Barman, Director, and Chief Technology Officer, Vivarta Green Technology Private Limited. “The input biomass for gasifiers must always rely on surplus biomass such as municipal waste that is usually a pain point for people,” he said.
“The panchayat can remodel the biomass gasifier for different inputs, but they have to identify the biomass available from their ecosystem,” said Barman adding, “Converting biomass to electricity results in higher energy loss. Say, one kilogram of methane produces only three units of electricity, valued at Rs. 24, industrially. Whereas selling to the automotive or kitchen sector could yield an economic value of Rs. 80.” In areas where it is challenging to dispose biomass, such as in the Andaman Islands, where over 80% of electricity is generated from diesel, the economic value often takes a backseat as it helps in reducing the overall carbon footprint, Barman explained.
Echoing his view, Shanmugam said, “The model works best only in forests and hills where firewood is abundant and electricity sources are limited, unlike Odanthurai. Considering this, I decided to discontinue the project to prevent further losses over time.”
Suboptimal biogas plants
The panchayat had also installed two ten cubic metre night-soil linked community biogas plants, powering 135 households in Vinobaji Nagar.
“Although the biogas pipeline reached all 135 houses, only two households actually received the gas,” shared Ramaiah (name changed) from Vinobaji Nagar. “However, even they decided against using it due to the unpleasant odor. We were unaware of its benefits and usage, so we didn’t see a need for it.”
“To mitigate the foul smell in the biogas, we were advised to mix cow dung in the tanks. Consequently, we encouraged people to raise cattle and provide their waste for the plant. However, due to the lack of space near their houses, it became impractical for residents to raise cattle. They would have to walk to the panchayat cattle shed, making it inconvenient for them,” shared Shanmugam.
“In order to generate the input for the plant, the panchayat even offered free cattle to a few people. However, people were reluctant, making the project defunct and the cattle shed is currently repurposed as a community hall. When many other residents were offered lands under the Tamil Nadu Green House Scheme, houses and roads were built in the place of the plant, demolishing the structure,” said Vadivelu A., a ward member, Vinobaji Nagar.
“Generally, biomass projects fail due to improper mapping of biomass availability and its supply chain management,” said Barman, who works on a biomass community project in North Bengal. Providing further insights, he said, “When we entered the North Bengal project, we made a comprehensive assessment on the number of cows owned by farmers in their area, considering their availability and intended uses. Then we identified suitable locations for the processing units. Finally, to continuously secure the biomass, we extended indirect support to farmers through supplementary assistance, such as insurance.”
Mrinmoy Chattaraj, an independent consultant and research associate, specialising in energy access, told Mongabay India, “Raising community awareness about the cost benefits of clean cooking is crucial for long-term sustainability. Many such projects fail to meet the community’s energy aspirations due to inadequate estimation of energy in meeting their practical requirements.”
Solar’s shine dims
“The solar streetlights failed within five years, despite numerous repairs to the components,” Vadivelu, the ward member, explained. “Each replacement battery, bulb and box cost Rs. 15,000, Rs. 600, and Rs. 3,000, respectively. Consequently, in 2012, we removed the solar streetlights entirely and connected to the grid.”
At present, the panchayat is refurbishing the solar panels of the non-functional streetlights and installing them on the VPRC (Village Poverty Reduction Committee) building. “This initiative aims to power approximately 40 streetlights using solar energy once again.” he said.
Several households in the panchayat also got solar lights under a government scheme. The experience, however, has been mixed.
“Under Tamil Nadu’s Solar Powered Green House Scheme, over 850 houses in Vinobaji Nagar were given five solar lights each,” shared Shanmugam. The scheme provides the houses with a smart power conditioning unit that charges the battery from the grid on non-sunny days. With the help of batteries, the system was also designed to ensure three-day power, irrespective of weather conditions. The scheme also offered a five-year comprehensive maintenance service provided by the supplier, with a call centre for addressing consumer grievances.
Siva (name changed), a scheme beneficiary, disclosed, “The solar lights stopped functioning within a month due to battery failure, leaving the battery irreparable. I still have the faulty battery on the table outside our house.” However, Savithri (name changed), his neighbour, argued, “Even after eight years, my solar light is still operational. But, all five solar lights do not work simultaneously now. If I switch on two lights together, the battery drains and I have to wait until the next sunny day to recharge it.”
The solar lights haven’t reduced Savithri’s electricity consumption via the grid. “The solar lights can work only for a maximum of two hours on a sunny day. So, we rely on the grid for our daily lighting. We use the solar lights only when there is a power cut,” she shared.
“The solar lights came with a warranty of only 10,000 hours,” Vadivel clarified. “The residents failed to maintain the batteries, despite receiving maintenance advice from the solar providers during installation. Many people overlooked crucial tasks like cleaning the panels and adding distilled water to the batteries. When the lights stopped working, they simply stopped using them.”
Several residents of Kemmarpalayam, neighbouring panchayat in the Karamadai Block, also benefited from the state’s Solar Powered Green House scheme. Resonating with Odanthurai residents, Vidya from Kemmarpalayam shared, “The solar lights burst within the first few days of installation. Concerned about safety, I requested the providers to remove them.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an officer within the panchayat union disclosed, “When some households contacted the toll-free number for maintenance, nobody answered. Most of the solar lights are now defunct.”
“When these solar panels were initially installed, I advised the community on the importance of proper maintenance, as it could significantly reduce their electricity costs. However, they showed reluctance in adhering to it, resulting in the system only functioning to a limited extent,” added Shanmugam.
Read more: In Odisha’s first solar village, maintenance issues plague the mini solar plant
Effective community participation is key
“Unlike Bihar or Odisha, Tamil Nadu doesn’t have energy access issues. Tamil Nadu already had achieved 98% electrification and had a robust grid system in place when India’s national targets for renewable energy were established in 2015. Moreover, Tamil Nadu is one of the few states where free electricity is still provided, up to 100 units for domestic consumption,” Anand Prabu Pathanjali, Partnerships, and Campaigns Manager, Power for All, a global network campaigning for distributed renewable energy, told Mongabay India. In such a scenario, such distributed renewable energy projects had limited relevance and acceptance in Tamil Nadu, while in Bihar, rural energy firms like Husk Power are successfully addressing their energy deficit.
“The block level administrator of every panchayat should ensure effective community participation from project conceptualisation through capacity building workshops, customisation based on community inputs, and including Women Self Help Groups and Anganwadi in managing the energy infrastructure. This will result in more acceptability of the project among communities due to its bottom-up nature,” shared Chattaraj.
Chattaraj said, “Despite the numerous failures of community renewable energy projects across India, these projects hold immense potential to expedite the transition from carbon-emitting fossil-fuel power plants. Developing innovative distribution models with smart technology and robust large-scale storage will empower us to take bold climate actions and work towards ambitious net zero goals.”
In a collaborative endeavour between the Tamil Nadu government and the World Resources Institute (WRI), ten villages have been selected to be transformed into climate-smart villages, encompassing various aspects such as sanitation, water, and renewable energy. When asked about the lessons learned from previous community renewable energy projects, Nambi Appadurai, Director of the Climate Resilience Practice, WRI India, highlighted, “Community projects often face challenges due to insufficient follow-up and mid-course corrections. While our project is still in its early stages, we conduct evidence-based research to determine the most suitable renewable energy solutions for each community, considering geographical conditions. We will avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and ensure project success through rigorous internal quality control processes and post-implementation monitoring and evaluation.”
Read more: The downfall of solar energy at Dharnai, Bihar’s first solar village
Banner image: Discarded solar panels from houses that received solar lights under a government scheme. Photo by Gowthami Subramaniam/Mongabay.