Solar panels are fixed to the thatched roof of a house in the fishing settlement of Sakthivel. | Image source: Special arrangement

That was a few years after the 2004 tsunami hit. M Sakthivel, a 29-year-old fisherman and YouTube user, clearly remembers the day when his main street in the shanty town of Thoothukudi, a coastal town in Tamil Nadu, was lit by five solar-powered lamp posts. "Before that, we had only heard of electricity. After sunset, all our work will be done with the help of kerosene lamps," Sakthivel recalled.

(Sign up for our technology newsletter Today's Cache to learn more about emerging topics at the intersection of technology, business, and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.)

Today, Sakthivel has become various proponents of affordable domestic electrification projects that use solar panels. He has used the revenue of his YouTube channel ThoothukudiMeenavan (with over 700,000 subscribers) to install nine home solar power installations (costing between 15,000 and 60,000 rupees) in his colony, and looks forward to installing more in the future week.

M Sakthivel, who lives in Thoothukudi, is a fisherman and YouTube user, and a solar energy supporter in his community. | Image source: Special arrangement

In Kochi, Kerala, NavAlt, a shipbuilding company in collaboration with the British Shell Foundation, has been experimenting with ideas for small solar-powered fishing boats. NavAlt has already achieved success on a taxi ferry driven by Adityasolar in Kerala, and it hopes to launch a sustainable alternative to ships that currently use gasoline and kerosene that consume a lot of outboard engines.

“A traditional three-foot fishing boat uses 3,600 liters of gasoline or diesel when it runs for 5 hours a day 240 days a year. NavAlt CEO Sandith Thandaserry said that nearly 200,000 vessels are in operation, consuming approximately 1 million liters of fuel, resulting in every The ship emits 2 million tons of carbon dioxide every year.

Also Read | From GPS to Echo, here is a technical guide for sea fishermen

"Our focus is on the fishermen groups in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where at least 4 million people are engaged in short-distance fishing. Insufficient catches do not justify the success of these vessels. The high operating costs are reasonable. Solar energy is one of their best clean energy options," he added.

Solar energy projects have become an empowering tool for rural and remote communities, especially those communities that have never used traditional power grids.

Sandith Thandaserry, CEO of NavAlt. | Image source: Special arrangement

Statistics released by the Ministry of New Energy and Renewable Energy show that there are about 300 sunny days each year, and the land area of ​​India can generate about 5,000 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) each year. According to the International Energy Agency's Renewable Energy 2020 report, the country has the world's fifth-largest installed solar capacity, with an installed capacity of 38 gigawatts (GW) in 2019, producing 54 TWof electricity.

The removal of fossil fuels from the picture is one of the signals to traditional industries such as fisheries that they can operate more environmentally friendly.

Also Read | Comment: By embracing the advancement of solar technology, Tamil Nadu can continue to be a leader in this field

Although the fuel cost of a traditional ferry is as high as Rs 3 million, for a solar boat, it is only less than Rs 100,000 per year.

"We want to see if we can achieve the same goal in the fishing sector. We are currently developing six models, (three of each) monohull and catamaran, which are being tested by fishermen in coastal areas. If they believe in solar energy The initial cost of the boat will eventually recover its cost in a few years, so we can hope to set the target price below 1 million rupees," Thandaserry explained.

The NavAlt prototype uses materials such as aluminum and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), and has flexible solar panels for stability, electric power steering, and dual outboard motors. These models are also equipped with auxiliary wind power generators for night use.

NavAlt is developing a mold for the solar boat. | Image source: Special arrangement

The modular battery design facilitates portability and shore power charging.

Like most traditional occupations, quite a few technologies have entered the fishery. Fishermen are more likely to use GPS and apps to find fishing spots instead of relying on old methods honed with years of experience and local wisdom. According to industry data, despite the advantages of solar power generation, due to various reasons, not much progress has been made in small-scale fisheries.

"It takes money to market and educate people about solar energy. Fishermen did not use solar energy on their boats. In fact, two fishermen removed solar panels from the boat while modifying the design of the boat," the Federation of South Indian Fishermen's Associations (SIFFS) Deputy CEO Vincent Jain explained. Nadu and Kerala.

M Sakthivel, who lives in Thoothukudi, is a fisherman and YouTube user, and a solar energy supporter in his community. | Image source: Special arrangement

"Compared with solar panels worth more than Rs 200,000, the wide supply of small fuel generators at a cost of Rs 25,000 has made many fishermen choose a cheaper option. It is better to think of solar energy as a support rather than on board a ship. Is the main source of power," Jain added.

Companies need to make solar technology products more economically viable, especially if they want to adopt small-scale fishing faster and more in Tier 2 and Tier 3 communities. Rahul Kale, founder and CEO of Sunpower Renewables, an Australian developer of renewable energy solutions, points out: “Having battery storage and solar charging can add a lot of value without using gasoline or diesel.” The company’s handheld and grid-connected products It is being used in fishing boats and leisure boats in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

Kale said that compatibility with fishing technology is essential. "In Indonesia, these devices have been used to catch shrimp. When the fishermen go into the water, some of them have a small built-in flashlight or lamp. It is convenient at night, quiet and environmentally friendly, which is essential for shrimp catching," He said.

Near Sakthivel in Thoothukudi, a solar-powered lamp burns in bright light. | Image source: Special arrangement

Although the company's pre-pandemic operations in India were limited to the B2B areas of mining, hotels, and healthcare, Sunpower Renewables is now looking for B2C solutions in e-commerce and marketing its products through online dealers such as Amazon and Croma.

Innovative technology enables the use of solar products far beyond the daytime. "Traditional solar products can only be used during the day. When the sun is full, the spare battery is reserved for the diesel generator of the large battery inverter. However, when you can choose to store solar energy, such as in our products, they will Becomes very useful in many areas," Kale commented. "We are selling portable solar panels that can be reduced to the size of a briefcase when folded. Ultimately, the product must be customized to suit the user."

For fisherman Sakthivel, who replaced the traditional kaangan kerosene flame flashlight with solar lights when he went fishing, the change was also a constant recorded through his YouTube channel.

"Before, because we were too poor to afford the wick of a kerosene lamp, we used to tear old clothes into strips. Now, we charge solar lights at home during the day and take them to go fishing at night. Since my ancestors Since I started fishing, many things have changed, from the size of the catch to the material we use for our nets; but solar energy has always been a clear advantage. When I turned on the lights, I was still very excited," he said laughingly.

Our editorial values

Printable version | 4:01:59 PM, December 8, 2021 | https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/solar-power-offers-clean-energy-solution-to -fishing-communities-in-india/article37450899.ece

© THG Publishing PVT Co., Ltd.

The writer said that rulers still dominate the writing of history.