Where the Sun Pays Bills

A Professor's Decades-Long Solar Journey Lights the Way for Puducherry to Transform into a Clean Energy Role Model

- Debjani Dutta @Puducherry

In a quiet corner of Puducherry's Boulevard area, a modest home hides a revolutionary secret. For over two decades, Dr. Brahmanand Mohanty, a retired professor from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok and a globally respected energy expert, has been quietly leading the Union Territory's solar transition—long before it became policy.

Back in 2001, when solar panels were still a novelty, Dr. Mohanty installed a 900W off-grid system on his rooftop, one of the first in Puducherry. Over the years, that system evolved into a state-of-the-art 5kW grid-connected setup that now powers not just his home, but also his family's electric car and scooters. His is a household that has not visited a petrol pump in over 20 years.

But Mohanty's commitment to clean energy goes well beyond personal use. He has helped transform solar adoption across Puducherry by facilitating rooftop installations at institutions like the French Consulate, Alliance Française, École française d'Extrême-Orient, Volontariat, and several buildings of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, including its school, library, dining hall, and guesthouses. He has also encouraged private residents to adopt solar and promoted the replacement of electric geysers with heat pumps.