Bysanivaripalle: A Smoke Free Village

Yojana, Vol.49, Mach 2005.

The village saves 72 tonnes of firewood equivalent to 5832 kg of LPG. This helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the tune of 104 tonnes a year.

In Bysanivaripalle, a tiny village in Andhra Pradesh 125 km north of the famous temple town of Tirupati, every thing depends on the sun. The father of the solar system gives them energy for their day-to-day life. The village with 36 families is free from smoke and it is a solar village.

When two decades ago, the eco conscious residents of Bysanivaripalle, went in for the first biogas plant, the officials of the Non-Conventional Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NEDCAP), did not need to put it much effort to motivate them to go solar. They are all small and marginal farmers engaged in agriculture and allied activities of sericulture and diary farming. One farmer of the village constructed a biogas plant in 1985-86 and following the success of the plant 22 others also constructed biogas plants. Now the village has 23 biogas plants generating gas without any interruption.

Impressed upon the success of the village, NEDCAP, chittor, encouraged other families who do not have cattle, to opt for solar cookers. Gandhia solar Energy System Pvt. Ltd., Valsad, Gujarat, agreed to provided cookers with the help of Intersol Stadt Gemeinde St.Johanan of Australia. 13 solar cookers were supplied and impressed with the performance of these cookers another 13 families also opted for solar energy for their day-to-day chores. Now there are 23 biogas plants and 26 solar cookers in the village. No one depends on either traditional stove using biofuels or fossil fuels such as L.P.G., kerosene etc. for their basic energy needs. The village is free from smoke. A group of school children from Australia visited the village last year to witness the success of the project.

Apart from preparing rice, the solar cookers are used to fry chips, to roast peanuts and to make traditional Andhra sweets. NEDCAP has also trained the youth of the village in assembling solar cookers. Now the villagers can assemble them with out the help of technicians. NEDCAP has also provided sunglasses to prevent gearing sunlight while cooking.

In the local school, one solar cooker is installed to cook midday meal for 48 student of the school. The village saves 72 tonnes of firewood, or 5832 kg of LPG, reducing carbon dioxide emissions to the tune of 104 tones a year. Dieter Siefert Company, the developer of SK-14 Solar cookers, is full of praise for Bysanivaripalle, the first smoke free village, perhaps in the whole world itself.

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