In NE Tlangnuam, a remote village in Saitual district near the Manipur border, healthcare worker C. Lalrelpuii is often the sole medical professional. Long plagued by unreliable power, routine services were interrupted by frequent outages, hampering emergency care after sunset. The situation changed when a solar system was installed under the Energy for Health (E4H) initiative, giving the health facility dependable lighting and power for essential operations.
E4H, launched in 2023 by the SELCO Foundation in partnership with the Government of Mizoram, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and National Health Missions, aims to deploy 100 MW of solar energy across 25,000 public healthcare facilities in 12 states by 2026. In Mizoram alone, all 530 primary health facilities have been solarised, enabling safe deliveries, night‑time emergency care, vaccine preservation, and improved working conditions for frontline workers.
A landmark achievement of the programme is the first solar‑powered walk‑in vaccine cooler in the Northeast, a 5‑metric‑tonne dual‑chamber facility that uses solar energy, thermal storage and temperature‑control technology to keep vaccines and medicines safe during heavy rainfall and other climate disruptions. The cooler strengthens the state’s vaccine distribution system and reduces dependence on conventional power.
Kawlkulh Primary Health Centre, serving more than 5,000 people, now enjoys reliable lighting, fan operation, mobile phone charging and uninterrupted support for maternal care. Within six months of installing solar power, the centre conducted 18 deliveries, boosting confidence in local services and generating savings of about ₹9.74 lakhs per month—roughly ₹1.17 crore annually—allowing funds to be redirected to patient welfare initiatives. These examples illustrate how renewable energy investments can enhance accessibility, affordability and resilience in Mizoram’s healthcare system.
