As India’s electrical grid strains, rural hospitals and clinics find reliable power in rooftop solar

By SIBI ARASU
Associated Press

RAICHUR, India (AP) — In the searing heat that often envelops southern India, a ceiling fan brings sweet relief for the newborn babies and their mothers at the Government Maternity Hospital in the ancient town of Raichur. But such respite wasn’t always guaranteed in a region where frequent power cuts to India’s overmatched electrical grid can last for hours. It wasn’t until Government Maternity installed rooftop solar a year ago that it could depend on constant electricity that keeps the lights on, patients and staff comfortable and vaccines and medicines safely refrigerated. Now it’s one of more than 250 hospitals or clinics that is relying on the technology to ensure modern health care in remote and rural communities.