TDHVL visits Indian partners of the RE-EMPOWERED consortium

Dr Stratis Batzelis of TDHVL visited Indian partners of the RE-EMPOWERED project (Re-empowering European and Indian communities) in 3-6 September 2023 as part of another round of EU-India knowledge exchange activities. Stratis first visited CMERI, where he had the chance to interact with several research groups and see in person a series of innovative solar PV configurations, such as solar tree, solar umbrella and solar tractor. He also delivered a talk on solar integration challenges in an audience of about 50 people.

Highlight of the visit was a daytrip to Ghoramara, a small island in the bay of West Bengal with about 3,000 residents. Because of extreme erosion, the island is expected to disappear from the map in a couple of dozens of years, which has left its people without an electric grid and energy access. RE-EMPOWERED will install an 150 kWp PV system to cover basic electricity needs of the 1,000 households in the island, as well as the medical centre, the municipality facilities, the commercial district and an EV (three-wheelers) charging station. Stratis had the chance to see the progress of the works, as well as interact with the residents that eagerly await completion and the change in their lives this will bring.