The Indian Solar Micro Grids

Meet the team of changemakers who brought technology-friendly E-base and set up three Solar DC Microgrids in the remote villages of Ladakh.

Paras Loomba, son of an army officer is the founder of Global Himalayan Expedition. With this, he revolutionized the concept of Tourism. People in some of the remotest villages in Ladakh have never experienced electricity in their lives until the E-base came into the picture

The technology friendly E-base

Loomba and his team went to Ladakh to construct a one-of-its-kind E-Base (Education Base) near Mahabodi school. The school hosts around 500 students from several nearby villages.. But it was his passion that drove him to the highest peak to bring a change. And it was his passion and his team’s hard work that helped him construct a Third Pole E-base, 3,500 meters above the sea level.

The structure of the school was not like any other building. It was a double wall construction that kept the indoors warm even if it was freezing outside. Not only this, the E-base also offered several tablets and laptops to the students with a good internet connection that helps them to connect with people across the globe. They also have a television and over 10 telescopes and several books according to the students’ interests.

And all of this at a location where there is almost no connectivity with the outer world.

“When we first introduced the idea, we received over 300 applications within a month. This gave us the confidence that this can work. People from nine countries joined me to construct this unique E-base in a land which was affected by cloud burst,” Loomba says.

The E-Base is the third base in the world to run completely on solar. It also has Ladakh’s first sustainability curriculum and a Robotics Lab. Digital tools, documentaries and interactive sessions are used to engage kids, which makes it an unusual and interesting experience for the kids.

Apart from a very successful E-Base, the GHE team also set up 3 Solar DC Microgrids in Sumda Chenmo village which hosts around 100 houses and is 2 treks away from any nearby town.
The solar lights have helped the villagers to increase their working hours by four hours per day

The future

Till date, around 400 students use the 100 percent solar powered E-Base. GHE wants to take this initiative to the next level by electrifying 20 more villages in Ladakh by next year and 50 villages in the next three years.

We congratulate Paras Loomba and his team for their incredible work. Supported by many well-wishers and corporate sponsors, GHE is doing some amazing work in some of the most unexplored regions of India.