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As she prepares tea on her bio -gas stove, Pano Hansda declares proudly: ³We use bio-gas to cook now. We have solar
electricity at night. This is good as I can do some work in the evening.´ Some months ago, Pano became the owner of a
biogas plant, which converts waste organic matter such as cow dung and dead leaves into biogas for cooking. The use of
renewable energy such as biogas and solar energy has changed Pano¶s daily life considerably, as it has altered the life of
people in Chora, a village in the interiors of Jharkhand. The village is one of 34 where UNDP¶s Renewable Energy for Rural
Livelihoods project is being implemented. This project reaches out to the inhabitants of remote villages in the states of
Jharkhand, Uttarkhand, Rajasthan and Sikkim, and promotes renewable energy to improve lives and prov ide livelihood
activities.

Solar panels on thatched roof tops in Chora are an

interesting sight and provide much-needed
electricity to the village households. Solar panels
also power the village street lights. Before they were
installed, there was no electricity in the village and
the villagers were dependent on kerosene lanterns.
As dusk falls now, children in Chora gather around
the village street lights to do their homework. ³The
solar energy has helped my daughter study in the
evenings for her exams,´ says Vimla, a member of
the local women¶s self help group.

Vimla is also busy leading her self help group

members in livelihood activities that use renewable
energy. ³We use the electricity from the gasifier to
grind rice. This has helped us to earn money,´
declares Vimla. The gasifier is a machine that
converts biomass into clean gaseous fuel and
produce electricity. ³Earlier women (of the self help
group) didn¶t want to get involved (in the rice
grinding activity) but now they participate actively ( in the self help group),´ adds Vimla. Women from Vimla¶s group save the
money earned from grinding the rice to educate their daughters. Rajesh, a farmer, uses the gasifier for another purpose. "We
use the electricity to make briquettes (from waste wood), w hich we sell to the factory nearby. This helps me a lot, as I don't
have to go far for work and I can stay in the village to look after my fields and family." The briquettes are used by the fac tory
in their furnaces.

To ensure that market opportunities a re available to villagers like Rajesh, UNDP and the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE) have worked with Tata Steel Rural Development Society, Lupin Laboratories and Usha Martin.

A little further afield in district Saraikella-Kharsawan in Jharkhand, 110 biogas plants have been set up. This has helped to
conserve 240,900 kilogrammes (kgs) of fuel wood used earlier to cook. It has saved about 385,440 kgs of CO 2 emissions per
year, which is equivalent to the amount emitted by around 200 Indian cars in a year. The project has increased employment
opportunities for villagers. A total of 39,286 days of annual employment have been generated since the beginning of the
project.

This experiment has shown that renewable energy has immense potential for peop le living in remote areas. Due to its
success, it is now being replicated in other states with the help of the Government.

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