Slow progress hinders Bihar's solar street light initiative

It is not easy for Gurudayal Yadav, an elderly man, to go out at night during the ongoing rainy season as his street, like most others in his village Siriyawan in the Mohanpur block of Gaya district, Bihar, remains dark. Yadav eagerly awaits the installation of street lights under the ambitious Mukhyamantri Gramin Solar Street Light Scheme. He recalled that when the scheme was launched in September 2022, he and others in his village were hopeful the darkness enveloping their streets for years would end soon. Two years later, Yadav says, “Our streets are still dark.”

Rajesh Kumar Ranjan, the mukhiya (head of the village body) of Siriyawan, said that some solar street lights were installed in four of the panchayat’s 13 wards. “Only 40 of the targeted 140 solar street lights were installed, and a few have stopped working,” he said.

This is not just the story of Siriyawan village, which is hardly 20 km from Bodh Gaya, a Buddhist pilgrimage site. Mongabay India spoke to people in more than two dozen villages across different districts in the state and found that solar street lights were not installed in most rural areas. “Only 40 solar street lights were installed in four of the 14 wards in Nepa gram panchayat in Gaya,” said Bulbul Singh, the mukhiya of Nepa.

Some villages don’t even have one solar street light. For instance, Barma gram panchayat in Gaya, Purhara gram panchayat in Aurangabad district, and Belkhara and Pariyari gram panchayat in Arwal district remain without any installations. “Not a single solar street light was installed in 16 wards in our panchayat,” said Chitranjan Kumar, the mukhiya of Barma.

While the individual homes are electrified, people need to regularly venture out after dark to monitor their farms, use toilet facilities or other purposes, which would be easier with street lights.

The dark streets of the villages that Mongabay India visited, reflect the ground reality of the poor implementation of the solar street light scheme. The scheme was meant to promote green energy, but its poor implementation will create hurdles in the state government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change. Previously, the state government installed thousands of grid-connected solar street lights under different schemes. Solar lights were supposed to replace these grid-connected lights to illuminate the streets after dark and, in the long run, reduce GHG emissions.

However, almost two years after the scheme’s launch in September 2022, the only about 20% of the target solar street lights have been installed. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced the plan to install solar street lights in all villages within two years.

The plan was to install ten solar lights in each of the 1.15 lakh wards of 8,053 gram panchayats across the state, totalling over one million solar street lights by September 2024, informed Kedar Prasad Gupta, Bihar Panchayati Raj Minister. While talking to Mongabay India, the Minister also mentioned that the scheme was started with financial assistance from the centre under the 15th Finance Commission (FC) to boost basic infrastructure in rural areas and promote clean energy. FC is a constitutional body that gives formulae to share revenue between the centre and states.

Previously, the state government installed hundreds of solar street lights under the Bihar Street Light Nischay Yojna, but most turned defunct sooner than later, alleged Bihar Pradesh Mukhiya Sangh office bearers. In response, the state government announced a new scheme in 2022. However, this scheme is also moving slowly and lagging behind the target.

Official data revealed that by August 1, solar street lights were installed only in 19,440 wards of 4,019 gram panchayat against a total of 1.15 lakh wards and 8053 panchayats in the state. The latest data shows that a total of 203,223 solar street lights were installed, which is far below the goal of over one million by September 2024.

The installation of solar street lights has been particularly slow in the districts of Sheohar, Jamui, Sitamarhi, and Sheikhpura. As of August 1, official data shows only 1,130 solar street lights installed in Sheohar, 1,264 in Jamui, 1,160 in Sitamarhi, and 1,480 in Sheikhpura.

Alok Kumar, the officer on special duty in the Panchayat Raj department in charge of the solar street light scheme, was reluctant to comment on the slow implementation. However, another official admitted there are issues at the implementation level. “We have decided to strictly deal with private agencies for not fulfilling their target of installation of solar street lights in villages. These agencies are also responsible for maintenance of the installed lights for five years,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Noting the slow progress, Bihar Panchayati Raj Minister Kedar Prasad Gupta told Mongabay India that the deadline for completing the solar street light scheme has been extended to August 2025. Gupta also directed concerned district officials to speed up the installation work and warned that private agencies failing to meet targets would be blacklisted.

However, judging by the current progress, it appears to be a significant challenge to illuminate village streets by next year.

According to an official from a private agency engaged in the installation of solar street lights, the agencies demand 40% advance payment for installation. However, officials at the gram panchayat level are reluctant to pay this much in advance, causing delays in the scheme’s implementation. Payments for solar street light installations are made by the mukhiya from the development fund. Bulbul Singh, the mukhiya of Nepa Panchayat, told Mongabay India that the cost of installing one solar street light ranges from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 32,000.

Quality issues have also emerged. Mithilesh Kumar Rai, president of the Bihar Pradesh Mukhiya Mahasangh, expressed dissatisfaction with the slow implementation pace and alleged that the solar street lights installed by private agencies chosen by the Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) are substandard. He demanded the establishment of a government-owned laboratory to test the quality of solar street lights before installation, as BREDA currently lacks its own testing lab. Rai noted that village mukhiyas bear the brunt of the substandard quality, with some lights going defunct and others not working for more than four to five hours at night. “The government should end the mandatory provision of installing solar street lights through private agencies,” he said.

An official from BREDA recalled past irregularities involving mukhiyas in the installation of solar lights. Over a decade ago, it was alleged that mukhiyas in several districts purchased low-quality solar panels and batteries, causing most of the installed solar street lights to become defunct within a few months. However, Shilpa Gupta, assistant director at BREDA, stated while talking to Mongabay India that it is up to the government to decide on private agencies. BREDA only provides technical assistance or support in the installation of solar street lights, while the Panchayati Raj department implements the scheme.

Renewable energy experts claim that solar street lights reduce carbon emissions and help fight climate change due to their zero emissions. This initiative directly aligns with the state government’s new goal of working towards a net-zero and climate-resilient future.

“The solar street light scheme in Bihar is a commendable initiative towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While implementation challenges are common in large-scale projects, any delays present opportunities for optimisation. Bihar has around 28 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy potential, and accelerating the rollout of solar street lights could significantly contribute to Bihar’s low-carbon development goals,” said Mani Bhusan Jha, Program Manager, Climate, WRI India. He mentioned that the 28 GW data is part of Bihar’s draft renewable energy policy 2023, which is not yet public.

“These lights, producing zero emissions during operation, can help fight climate change by replacing conventional lighting systems. Initiatives like the solar street lights scheme can have multiple co-benefits, including improved energy access and reduced GHG emissions, which are crucial for Bihar’s socio-economic development and net-zero goals,” said Jha.

Achin Sarkar, a renewable energy expert and Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna, said solar street lights are highly recommended and widely utilised worldwide due to their zero emissions. It is a simple move to reduce carbon emissions and help fight climate change. However, strong policies and a corruption-free environment are essential for their successful implementation. Public awareness is also crucial, and the government should ensure proper maintenance and management of this technology post-implementation. “It will reduce the use of fossil fuels and contribute to combating climate change,” Sarkar said.

In its draft report Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development Pathway for Bihar, released in March 2024, the government outlined strategies to reduce carbon emissions in line with the country’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. By doing so, Bihar became the first state to develop such a plan, Prem Kumar, Bihar Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Minister told Mongabay India. This draft report has yet to be officially made public.

The report highlighted that the energy sector was the highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the state, about 69% in 2018. It further pointed out that the development pathway focuses on choices and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. According to the report, Bihar’s contribution to national emissions is about 3.3% of India’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, lower than its share of the national population (8.8%).

In this context, installing a large number of solar street lights in rural Bihar will not only end the darkness at night but also help millions in the state access low-emission energy.

Banner image: Solar street light installed at Alipore village of Kurkuri gram panchayat, Patna district. Image by Mohd Imran Khan.