India - Solar electrification of a center for marginalized individuals

The NGO Points Coeur

Points-Cœur is an international NGO, created in France in 1990 at the initiative of Father Thierry de Roucy. With operations in 20 countries on 4 continents, Points-Coeur’s mission is: to train and send young volunteers to live a year or two in the heart of particularly disadvantaged neighborhoods, to serve the most neglected and marginalized, especially children. These volunteers live in groups of 4-5 in houses called “Heart Points”, and spread a “culture of compassion”, which puts man at the center of all concerns, not only in the slums but also in the fields of science, economics, art, politics, etc.

The context of the project

With 11 hectares, the Garden of Mercy welcomes 30 individuals from very diverse backgrounds (children, physically or mentally disabled, in a situation of exclusion). The garden has a significant agricultural potential. Irrigation from two wells – dependent on the power supply – is required at all stages of agriculture. The Garden has 10 houses that allow every person to welcome his family and friends in good conditions, and with the respect of each other. Each house is highly dependant on the power coming from the grid. in fact, the supply of water comes from wells, with the use of water pumps. When the tanks are empty, all the basic activities are affected: toilet, kitchen, cleanliness.

The energetic issue of the NGO

Synergie Solaire carried out a site visit on July 2010, and started a feasibility study with the head of the NGO. Together, we identified 3 major issues:

• Shutdown of the network approximately 3 to 4 hours per day: it cannot cover all the electricity needs of the businesses and therefore, the network cuts the electricity to individuals. Moreover, there are  frequent disturbances of the operations of the power plant which can cause a shortage of electricity up to 3 days.

• A significant voltage variation on the line (sometimes 120 to 400 V) causing damage to the electrical appliances.

• The Garden is located about 30 km from the power station: any problem on the line (work, vegetation, repairs …) affects the power of the Garden.

The actions supported by Synergie Solaire

The recommendation was to set up a solar installation to supply 100% of the light equipment and combined solar energy and the grid for the uses of heavy equipment (like fridges and machines). The company Selco was chosen according to several criteria for this project: experience, sustainability of the installation and maintenance. Selco has a strong experience in building solar installation, and has the knowledge of NGO like Points Coeur. We included 5 years of maintenance in the project. The technical part of the project was designed by Ténergie, a company part of the network of sponsor of Synergie Solaire.

Participation of Synergie Solaire

52k€ from 2011- 2012 and 2015, technical assessment with engineers and technicians during 8 days

The project in pictures