It is estimated that 26% of the world’s electricity today is obtained from renewable energy sources, and this share is expected to reach 30% in a couple of years. One of the most abundant and freely available energy resources in world is sunlight.  In the future the use and demand for renewable energy will be on the increase as it becomes more economical. Renewable energy can reduce your electricity bills to a great extent. By installing a renewable energy system, one can become less reliant on the national grid and would lead to economic saving. 

AIDA has taken a lead in the use and promotion of the use of solar energy one of the components of renewable energy. AIDA’s intervention in the promotion of renewable energy includes electrification of houses in the remote villages and the use of solar lamps by assembling them and selling them to the villages.   

Solar Mamas:

Solar Mamas are women who are trained and graduated after six months of training in solar engineering. After the training they return to their respective villages and electrify the households with solar lighting units. They also take up the responsibility of repairing and   maintaining these units for a minimum period of 5 years. 450 households are electrified in the 2 districts of Noney and Tamenglong of Manipur. The beneficiaries are in 9 villages. There are 8 solar Mamas under AIDA                                                                                                                                                                  

Women Prosper Initiative: This is another model like the solar mamas to empower women economically and in skill. This is an enterprise model where the women who are trained in solar engineering are enabled to bring a range of products to the communities that are fabricated and assembled by the Mamas. It enables the Mamas to create an additional source of income besides empowering themselves with a new income generating skill. Under this initiative the women assemble and sell solar products like: Bindi (Torch light with panel); Solar Rakshak Plus (Torch light with panel); Diva 5200 (Lantern – 5200 mAh); Divya 7800 (Latern – 7800 mAh); Divya Solar (Solar Lantern 10 Wp); Viti 20 (home lighting system-2); Laxmi 20 (Home lighting sytem -3) and Laxmi 40 (home lighting system).                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Installed Solar Street Lamps, at important locations in the villages, under AIDA-SBI Gram Seva project areas in the adopted villages. This service has enabled the people to use the public roads to the village and other common facilities late in the evening and at night. By installing solar street lamps, the consumption of the electric power has been cut to a great extent. Through the use of the solar street lamps promotion of renewable energy is encouraged among the villagers.                                                                                                                                                                 

32 KVA offline solar power plants each are installed at two degree colleges in Nagaland and Assam respectively; beneficiaries would be thousands of students both in the colleges and hostels. The installation of the solar power plant is expected to cut down considerably the consumption of hydro-electricity in these institutions. Besides, these could become models which could inspire the students and staff as well to go solar in their homes.       .