Nagaland, India Solar Power Project

The World Bank, 2023

Implementing partners: Nagaland Department of Health and Family Welfare, The World Bank

Published In: COP28 Prospectus of Climate-Health Solutions, 2023

Establishing solar power provision in remote areas to ensure electricity supply to healthcare facilities amidst power cuts.

Context

The absence of regular electricity compromises the quality of healthcare. The Indian state of Nagaland has an erratic power supply with low voltage levels, requiring 138 MW of power but generating only 25 MW. Power cuts lead to the malfunctioning of medical equipment such as oxygen tanks, premature spoiling of medicines and critical supplies that require refrigeration, and force healthcare workers to work in difficult circumstances such as the lack of light.

In remote areas where power cuts are frequent, health staff have encountered extraordinary circumstances, conducting deliveries at night using only candles or torchlight due to the lack of reliable electricity. Diesel generators have been previously used by health facilities to provide an alternative source of power amidst cuts. However, they have a heavy environmental footprint, generating air pollution, and are not cost effective or reliable due to high maintenance costs and frequent breakdowns. This prompted the need for a more sustainable and dependable energy solution.

Approach

In Nagaland, a state in North-East India, the utilization of renewable resources through solarization was envisioned as an alternative source of power supply. First, a comprehensive assessment was conducted across 175 health facilities as part of the Nagaland Health Project (NHP). Subsequently, the project initiated strategic investments in off-grid electrical power supply solutions customized to the specific requirements of each health facility. These solutions were designed to ensure a fundamental level of functionality, primarily catering to lighting and powering high priority equipment. Additionally, they served as reliable backup sources during periods of unavailability of grid power.

Impact & Next steps

Overall, the project installed 1,504 kW of solar capacity and generated 2,066 MWh of energy across the 175 health facilities. Capacity of solar backup depended on the type of facility:

10 District Hospitals: 44-70 kW
21 Community Health Centers: 20 kW
56 Primary Health Centers: 6-8 kW
88 Sub Centers: 2 kW

The installation of solar power has had a positive impact in several areas:

Enhanced healthcare service provision: Stable access to electricity meant that medical equipment such as the oxygen concentrator could supply adequate oxygen to patients, surgeries could be performed at all times, and vaccines could be reliably stored in the refrigerator. Healthcare workers were able to provide services at night.
Cost saving: The use of solar power led to electricity bill savings of approximately INR 6.2 million.
Environmental: The use of clean power created a CO₂offset of 1,240 tonnes and effectively saved over 55,000 trees.

The case of the Community Health Centre Pungro, which caters to 54 villages, illustrates the positive impact of solar plant installation. Prior to solarization, the center used to face power cuts every day and night, so the patients had to be treated in darkness using torch lights. The installation of the 20 kW Solar Power Plant ensured continuous power back up, and as reported by the Medical Officer “the burdens that we faced before solar installation have been minimized to a great degree”.

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