Solar power was first used in 1986 on a large scale, to completely energise the 80,000 square foot Barefoot College campus at Tilonia. The College campus now is totally self-sufficient with a 40 kilowatt solar energy unit meeting all its energy needs.

The College by training rural unemployed youth as well as semi-literate and literate rural women, as barefoot solar engineers, from different part of the country, have since 1986, installed solar home lighting systems in their villages. They also fabricate and produce solar lanterns. More than 200 kilowatt solar energy is being generated across the country thorough systems and lanterns.

Barefoot solar engineers have installed solar photovoltaic (SPV) home lighting systems and fabricated produced solar lanterns across 10 states of India. The results include:

• Solar electrifying 300 adult education centres.
• Solar electrifying 870 schools across the country.
• 3530 solar lanterns manufactured at the College.
• 28 remote and inaccessible villages in Ladakh have 40 Kws of solar panels that provide three hours of light in the bleakest winter to 1530 families.
• In Leh and Kargil districts, solar energy initiatives have saved a total of 97,000 litres of kerosene.
• 392 rural youth including women trained as barefoot solar engineers with absolutely no aid from urban professionals.
• 350 villages and hamlets(clusters) have been covered where a total number of 12000 households have been solar electrified.
• 195,000 litres of kersoene saved, by replacing generators and oil lanterns with solar power.
• All solar panels have been installed, maintained and repaired by the village people without the assistance of any paper qualified engineer.
  

"The First Women Barefoot Solar Engineers of the World"
Barefoot College, YouTube, November 2007

"Summary of Solar Electrification of Remote Villages"
Barefoot College, December 2007

"Solar Electrification, the Barefoot Approach," Virtual Exhibit, World Summit on Sustainable Development, August

"Solar Electrification" Video 1, 2, 3 (Windows Media Player 7.0 Required), Virtual Exhibit, World Summit on Sustainable Development, August

Funded by the European Commission, the College has completed its involvement in working with Programme Asvin (Applications solaires dans les villages de l'Inde et du Népal). The College continues to work in developing and disseminating solar energy systems for villages in the Himalayan region of India. The project has solar electrified 30 villages in Sikkim, Uttaranchal and Ladakh - demonstrating how local knowledge and practical skills can make these villages completely self-sufficient technically and financially.

Parabolised Solar Cookers

Fabrication of Parabolised Solar Cookers have been undertaken by 28 trained barefoot solar engineers in Tilonia including 10 semi - literate and literate women. The cookers can meet the cooking needs of 8-10 members while a larger size can meet cater to 40-50 persons' needs. Cookers have been installed in villages of Rajasthan, Assam, Bihar and Sikkim.

Badakshan - the first village to be fully solar electrified in Afghanistan

Norwegian Church Aid in partnership with Barefoot College, Tilonia

Social Work and Research Centre
Tilonia, Rajasthan, India