The unconventional news website- Yourstory.com- has recently featured the Dhundi village of Gujarat’s Kheda district which has given birth to the world’s first solar cooperative.
“Only two years ago, when the world’s first solar irrigation cooperative, Dhundi Saur Urja Utpadak Sahakari Mandali or DSUUSM, was launched, the farmers of the village were harvesting only crops. Today, they are harvesting solar energy,” Yourstory.com quotes The Hindu.
Some farmers sell the excess power at Rs 7 per unit. Each day, they sell approximately 50-60 kWh of solar energy. Most of these farmers, who claimed personal loans to become solar equipped, today have repaid their debts and are making Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,30,000 every year by just selling electricity and water.
An average yield gives them Rs 1,800-2,000 per month, says a report by The Indian Express.
This cooperative was launched in 2016 under the aegis of International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The installation of solar technology has made these farmers self-sufficient with water pumps and power grids.