It its first LED Lights development stage, Mera Gao Power only had eight villages joint the plan. The first commercial Solar-LED micro grid was set up during the summer last year. In Shaad’s words, the initial situation was rather difficult. “Most people actually in a wait-and-see mode, they have not even used many electrical appliances before this. How could we make them completely trust the system?” Even for those villages open-minded enough to accept this new technology, Shaad and his friends had to spend a lot of time to teach them some basic knowledge of solar system and low-power LED lighting applications. Made sure that most of them know how to operate and maintain them properly LED Panel. Although it was not an easy job, Shaad did find happiness in it. It is a step forward of his country.
Last month, Mera Gao Power put forward another plan, in which more than 40 villages are going to be installed this kind of Solar-LED micro grid before next year. After a negotiation with U.S. Agency for International Development, they received a totally $ 30,000 grant. Mera Gao Power also expressed their wishes to help other companies to enter this industry, sharing their experience on these issues. According to World Resources Institute, the Solar-LED micro grid will have an average annual output value around 2 billion dollars in India. It will become a large LED Tube market.
A small sized Solar-LED micro grid system only cost $ 2500, can provide electricity for more than 100 households. The entire system will be divided into 15 groups, controlled by two power generating center. Every group was allocated a solar panel and a battery, using 24VDC. In this system, copper wires were replaced by aluminum wires, saving a large amount of cost. Before installation, Shaad would send out professional engineers to survey and draw the map of the village, ensuring the most effective arrangements for the distribution lines.
In villages where Solar-LED micro grid has been installed, each house can enjoy a 7-hour power supply, with an average current of 0.2A. This is enough for 2 indoor low-power LED lighting applications. Besides, they can have one more plug for cell phone charge. The estimated cost for every month is about $ 2.