agricultural electricity needs of all the households of Modhera are planned to be fulfilled with solar energy, thereby setting up a pilot demonstration project for a village or town running completely on solar power.

“Modhera has been selected due to the location of ancient sun-temple there and the associated historical and cultural association with Sun. The context makes it an ideal location for a pilot demonstration programme for a town running completely through solar energy,” the scheme says

The scheme will be implemented with an investment of around Rs 65 crore with 50 per cent central financial assistance of around Rs 32.5 crore from Government of India through MNRE and the balance 50 per cent contributed by the Gujarat government.

A state-government’s nodal agency will call for bids for setting up projects under five heads:

• 6 Megawatt ground-mounted solar PV plant;

• 271 rooftop solar PV systems of 1 Kilowatt capacity each;

• 100 Kw aggregate capacity of rooftop solar systems on government buildings;

• 15 MW and 6 MW battery energy storage systems (BESS), and

• Other smart energy components.

There could also be bids for the following: