Mandaviya Highlights Modhera as India's 24x7 Solar Village
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A village in Gujarat is quietly rewriting the rules of rural energy — and Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wants the world to take note. On Sunday, September 27, 2026, Mandaviya shared Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words on X, amplifying the story of Modhera — a name now synonymous with India's solar ambition.
Quoting PM Narendra Modi, the post declared: 'Aaj Modhera desh ka pehla 24x7 solar village bankar duniya ko sustainability ki raah dikha raha hai.' — 'Today, Modhera has become the country's first 24x7 solar village, showing the world the path to sustainability.'
How Modhera Became a Round-the-Clock Solar Pioneer
Modhera, a village in Mehsana district, Gujarat, is already iconic for its ancient Sun Temple — a thousand-year-old monument to solar worship. The symbolism of layering a modern solar energy project onto that heritage is not lost on anyone. A 6 MW ground-mounted solar plant, combined with rooftop solar installations across the village, forms the backbone of a system designed to keep the lights on around the clock. The project, completed by the central government and Gujarat state in 2022, made Modhera the first village in India to be officially declared a 24x7 solar-powered settlement.
What makes the model significant is not just the hardware — it is the ambition of decentralised energy ownership. Modhera's residents draw power from a system anchored to their own land, insulated from grid failures that have historically defined rural electricity access across India.
Modhera as a Template for India's 500 GW Solar Push
India has committed to reaching 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. Large solar parks and rooftop schemes dominate the headlines, but village-scale projects like Modhera carry a different kind of strategic weight — they demonstrate that the energy transition is not an abstract national target but a lived, daily reality for ordinary citizens.
The broader question — whether the Modhera model can travel to other states — is exactly what policymakers are watching. Replication demands local grid integration, battery storage capacity, and sustained maintenance ecosystems, each of which present real logistical challenges in varying terrain and climate conditions across India.
For now, Modhera stands as Exhibit A in India's sustainability pitch to the world — a sun-temple village that has found a second, thoroughly modern reason to face the sun.