5 young climate activists raise money to set up rooftop solar system in Kasaragod anganwadi

Kasaragod: Five 'climate leaders' trained by Thiruvananthapuram-based NGO Sustera Foundation have set up a two-kilowatt rooftop solar power system at the Chayoth anganwadi in Kasaragod's Kinanur-Karinthalam grama panchayat.

The project will not only make the anganwadi self-sufficient in energy but also generate additional income for the institute, said Saranya SV, one of the five climate leaders, and a social entrepreneur based in Kasaragod. The on-grid solar power system was set up at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh.

The five 'climate leaders' -- Aliya Muhammed from Idukki, Aditya Sarath from Thiruvananthapuram, Alfred from Malappuram, Sarath M from Ernakulam and Saranya in Kasaragod -- raised the money from Keyvalue System Solutions, a product engineering company for start-ups and scale-ups in Kochi.
Sustera Foundation's two initiatives Gen-Re Collective and Climate Leaders Action Network-30 (CLAN-30) also pitched in to set up the solar system at the anganwadi.

The centrally sponsored Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) run 3,061 anganwadis in Kerala. "Of which, we have installed rooftop solar systems in eight," said an ICDS official in the Kerala government's Directorate of Women and Child Development. The power bills of anganwadis are footed by the local bodies. The Chayoth anganwadi in ward no. 1 of the panchayat runs up a power bill of around Rs 265 every two months, said panchayat member Dhanya P.

The energy consumption of the anganwadi is only around 75 units every two months, she said. The 2kW solar plant is expected to generate 500 to 600 units during the period, said Dhanya. "This will be an additional income for Kinanur-Karinthalam panchayat," said Saranya, who runs Papla, a micro-enterprise that makes tableware and grow bags from arecanut leaf sheaths.

The five 'climate leaders' said they have decided to install a solar system in another anganwadi near a Scheduled Tribe settlement in the same Chayoth ward. "We will be raising money for it soon," Saranya said. The foundation is open to taking up more such projects."All we need is a flat rooftop and the building should be owned by the local body," she said.

Inspired by the initiative, Kinanur-Karinthalam panchayat president T K Ravi said the board has set aside Rs 35 lakh to set up solar plants in institutions run by the panchayat.