The government senior secondary school in Sevli used to lose whole afternoons in May and June, when power cuts switched off the fans and classroom temperatures climbed past 45°C. This year, the lights stayed on.
A 10-kilowatt rooftop solar system with battery backup, paid for by a district fund and a donation from a local transport company, now powers 22 fans, the lights and a new computer lab with 15 machines.
"Children used to faint in the heat, and parents kept them at home," said principal Ghanshyam Sharma. "In May this year our attendance was 82 per cent. Two years ago it was around 55."
What the system powers
- Fans and lights in 11 classrooms.
- A 15-computer lab used by classes 6 to 12.
- A water cooler and a pump for the school's drinking water tank.
Students from the senior classes have formed an "energy club" that reads the inverter every day and records how much power the panels produce. Physics teacher Mamta Choudhary uses the readings in her lessons on electricity.
The school's management committee is now asking for a second, smaller system for the primary section across the road. "Solar is not a luxury here," Mr Sharma said. "In the desert, it is how school stays open."
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