This Kerala village does not worry about power cuts: 1,000 homes generate solar power

THRISSUR: There is a village in Kerala where people do not worry about power cuts. It is Perinjanam in Thrissur, where 1,000 households generate solar power. The panchayat has around 4,000 houses in total.

The 'Perinjanoorjam' project was initiated during 2016–18 with the assistance of the panchayat, starting with a capacity of 500 kW. Now, generation has reached 3.15 MW per month. The monthly consumption is two megawatts, and the surplus electricity is transferred to the KSEB.

Around Rs 26.25 crore has been spent so far on installing the solar panels. The cost of installing solar panels ranges from Rs 65,000 to Rs 75,000 per kilowatt. The subsidy ranges from Rs 19,500 to Rs 25,000. The local Pappinivattom Cooperative Bank provided a loan of Rs 1.3 crore for the solar project. The project also received a 30% subsidy from the Solar Energy Corporation.

Rs 2 crore needed for BESS project

Perinjanam also plans to set up the country's first panchayat-level Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The project requires Rs 2 crore to set up a storage system with 20 containers. It can store up to one megawatt of electricity.

The previous government's final Budget had allocated Rs 2 crore for the BESS project, but the amount was not received. Although the project was not mentioned in the first Budget of the UDF government, the panchayat remains hopeful of getting the funds. Perinjanam's solar energy model received appreciation at the 2026 Mumbai Climate Week. The project is being led by a consumer committee headed by former panchayat president K.K. Sachith as chairman and Preman as convenor, along with 15 executive members.

"If this model is expanded to panchayats across the state, power cuts can be avoided."
- K.K. Sachith, former panchayat president