A life-changing scheme to bring electricity to remote South Asian villages for the first time has earned De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) a place in the finals of a competition to find Britain’s greenest universities.
Solar panels on the roof of a house in one of the five communities chosen for the project
DMU is one of five universities in the country nominated for the Community Innovation category of the Green Gown Awards 2015.
It has been nominated for the OASYS project – Off-grid Access Systems for South Asia – which is run by Professor Subhes Bhattacharyya that has transformed lives for about 5,000 households.
Prof Bhattacharyya leads a collaboration of British and Indian researchers on the project, which has so far connected five communities in Odisha state to electricity using solar power.
Without reliable power, activity in the village stopped at dusk and locals had to rely on kerosene lamps and candles to work at home by night or gather for community events.
Thanks to the OASYS project, businesses can open for longer, people feel safer at night with better lighting and students can study for longer.
Energy on tap also means two primary schools can use computers, which teachers hope will increase enrolment and drive up interest in secondary education. It has also reduced the danger of elephants roaming into the village at night because they are deterred by street lights.
Prof Bhattacharya said: “The demonstration project brings a life-changing intervention while testifying the functionality of electricity access options through a real-life experiment.
“It contributes to wider socioeconomic development and offers a living lab for understanding the multi-dimensional challenges related to electricity access.”
Karl Letten, DMU’s Environmental and Sustainability Officer, said: ‘To be recognised in the Green Gown Awards is a great result. To be a finalist in the Community Innovation category clearly shows that DMU’s commitment to sustainability reaches beyond the management of its buildings and is included within its ground breaking research and teaching.
“The OASYS project is a great example of how DMU is improving people’s lives by providing access to clean, green, renewable electricity. ‘
The Green Gown awards are held every year and run by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EUAC). The awards were established in 2004 to recognise the excellent sustainability initiatives run by universities and colleges around the UK.
Ian Patton, CEO of the EAUC said: “Every year the Green Gown Awards rewrite what business as usual looks like for UK universities and colleges. Sustainability makes business sense and this year’s inspiring initiatives prove that sustainability benefits staff, students, the wider community and of course the bottom line. Congratulations to all the finalists for their hard work and we look forward to celebrating their successes.”
The awards ceremony takes place in Bristol on November 26.
Posted on Friday 17 July 2015