00:00Business is booming for renewable energy entrepreneur Navang Thinlas.
00:07His many employees have their hands full.
00:09Solar power is in growing demand in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
00:13For the last two years, the government in Delhi has been subsidizing
00:16solar power systems for homeowners across the country.
00:20Now, there is state support from the Ladakh government as well.
00:27I started installing the units around 20 days ago.
00:31Since then, I have installed 13 rooftop units.
00:35I am getting a lot of inquiries from customers.
00:42Customers such as homeowner Abdul Ghafoor.
00:45He bought his rooftop solar power system with the help of a subsidy of 55,000 rupees,
00:51the equivalent of almost 600 euros, around a tenth of the total costs.
00:56Switching to green energy was important to him.
00:59But in the long run, the system is going to save him money as well.
01:11For example, if we get six hours of sunlight during the day,
01:14the rooftop solar power unit generates electricity.
01:17All our appliances run on solar power.
01:20In the evening, we use electricity from the grid.
01:23Any surplus electricity generated by the solar rooftop unit is fed into the grid.
01:29We will have no electricity bills because the grid power and solar power offset each other.
01:44Ladakh is also known as the roof of the world.
01:47Even the valleys here are more than 3,000 meters above sea level.
01:51Villages are few and far between.
01:53The region, including the capital Leh, is home to a population of just 300,000.
02:02The village of Somdo, almost 200 kilometers from Leh, is located on the shores of Lake Moriri.
02:09In the past, people here relied on diesel generators and wood-burning stoves.
02:15Now their energy needs are met by this solar plant.
02:19It was paid for by the government, but locals take care of maintenance themselves.
02:23Today, it's Dolma Chering's turn.
02:26The 38-year-old mother, who runs a restaurant,
02:29spent a week learning how to repair cables and maintain batteries.
02:33She says the system has benefited the village hugely.
02:37Solar power has been a huge help, especially at night.
02:41It's clean, it doesn't cause pollution, and it's good for the environment.
02:45There are 13 houses here and around 70 people living in the village,
02:50and solar power benefits all of them.
02:58In just two years' time, the Indian government plans to have increased the country's solar grid.
03:04In just two years' time, the Indian government plans to have increased the country's solar capacity
03:08to a total of 40 gigawatts.
03:11Only around a quarter of this has been installed so far.
03:14But here in Ladakh, many schools, hospitals and waste incineration plants
03:18are already running on solar energy.
03:21And farmers throughout the region have long been helping secure their livelihoods
03:25by using solar power in their irrigation systems.
03:30Entrepreneur Konchok Norgay has made his home completely energy efficient.
03:35He's been using a solar panel system for the last 15 years,
03:39which he installed with the help of a state subsidy.
03:43But that was not the only reason he opted for solar energy.
03:51It's so polluting, otherwise if you use, you know,
03:57fuel, kerosene, or, you know, if you use bushes from the mountain,
04:02people use, and the cow dungs and all that are used,
04:06which are not supposed to be used to burn.
04:10The polluting effect is even worse up here in the mountains, where the air is so thin.
04:15What with the new subsidies, it's never been easier to switch to solar energy.
04:20The government wants to subsidize solar power units in up to 10 countries.
04:25It's in up to 10 million private homes over the next few years.
04:29Ladakh gets some 300 days of sunshine a year.
04:32Entrepreneur Navang Dhinlaz believes the support is a huge opportunity.
04:41I think that renewable energy is a sector that can change the GDP of Ladakh.
04:46If you can generate power and sell it to other states,
04:49you can increase the income of Ladakh.
04:56According to the Indian Public Policy Think Tank,
04:58the Council on Energy, Environment and Water,
05:01over 250 million households across the country have solar energy capacity on rooftops.
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