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Pathenpara

Pathenpara is a village in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala.[1]

peoplse from Pathenpare built a micro-hydro community system for energy supply where Govt. of Kerala refused them electricity till 2005.

A model micro-hydro community system: Pathanpara Kerala

In 1996 two engineer activists, Anil and Samuel took it upon themselves to demonstrate “people’s energy”, in the context of a movement against a proposed nuclear power plant in the region. They convinced the local church in a small village called Pathanpara (Kannur District), in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Under its leadership the village built a 5 KW micro-hydro system that would become an exceptional model of a community- based micro-hydro system. The project met and overcame the numerous challenges renewable energy practitioners face in rural India; It secured financing from the village through cash or kind; It formed a village electricity committee (VEC), elected at regular periods, which set tariffs on a no-profit no-loss basis; And it empowered the VEC to operate, maintain, manage and regulate energy use. This system, built in 1996, provided reliable electricity to around 100 households in the village. Even though the grid arrived in the village in 2002, it has failed to provide electricity to all households. Today, the micro hydro system continues to provide electricity to 50 households. What’s more, the VEC achieved demand management (critical when the supply was limited to 5 KW and had to be shared equitably) through social regulation rather than sophisticated technical means. The VEC also realized the importance of protecting the stream, which the micro-hydro system was built on, and has worked to maintain environmental protection. Ultimately, this system and its governance, remain a model for future efforts.