For the first time, Batambis village, Kargil district was electrified by DC solar microgrids on December 1. The total installed capacity was around 6KW with over 450 Energy Efficient DC LED Lights and 3 days back-up in case of cloudy weather.

The project was initiated by Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), Kargil Renewable Energy Development Authority (KREDA) and the EICHER Group Foundation.

The project was inaugurated by Tsering Gyalpo, SSP Kargil, Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan, Project Director- Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) and Sheikh Mohammad Raza, Councilor, Choskore.

Tsering Gyalpo, SSP Kargil appreciated the efforts made by the GHE team of young engineers Paras Loomba, Jaideep Bansal and Eicher Group Foundation for providing electricity to the village. He also offered ₹ 30,000 to provide winter coaching to the children of the village.

Team leader of GHE, Shakir told that GHE seeks to provide energy access to the remote mountainous communities of Leh, Kargil, and Zanskar, and has till date electrified 53 villages in Ladakh. 

GHE has come up with an innovative Solar Micro Grid solution using energy efficient LED lights and Dc appliances that has changed the electrification scenario of the region due to their aggressive planning on electrifying remote villages. Over the last 3 years, GHE along with the local support of KREDA and LAHDC has electrified 18 villages and hamlets and 2 Monasteries in the Kargil district.

As part of a CSR initiative, GHE has partnered with the EICHER Group Foundation to bring access to energy and education to the remote villages in the area. The Eicher Group foundation is committed to the holistic development of the remote mountain communities.

Gaurav Sharma, CSR, Eicher Group Foundation said, “We have collaborated with GHE and this partnership is aimed at bringing development in the remote areas of India, whether its energy for the villagers or education to the students.”

“Energy efficiency is the key to provide energy access to the remote communities of India. And with the help of EICHER Group Foundation and KREDA, we are able to maximize our impact by reaching out to even more villages and bringing development in these areas” said Jaideep Bansal, Energy Access Leader, GHE.

Kacho Ahmed Khan, Project Director of KREDA said, “We have been working with GHE for the past 3 years to bring access to energy to all our remote villages in Kargil district. GHE has come up with an innovative Solar Micro Grid solution that not only provides energy Efficient Lighting technology but also has the capacity to run innovative DC Appliances such as LED TV etc. The team is now capable of electrifying the remote villages in Ladakh due to their effective system sizing and expertise in logistics in this difficult mountain terrain."

Batambis, located at an altitude of more than 13000 feet above the sea level is 55km away from Kargil. With more than 60 households and a population of more than 700 people, the village remains cut off for more than 5 months in a year due to heavy snowfall. The village has no mobile connectivity and the villagers need to walk to a top of a mountain pass at a height of 14,000 feet to get access to mobile signal to make calls.