The Dong tribe’s solar experiment: power for Arunachal’s most remote valley

Dong, the village that claims India’s first sunrise, is running a quiet experiment: a micro-grid of solar panels and batteries that powers the school, the clinic and a cold store for fish from the Lohit.

The project, built with village labour and managed by a local committee, has cut diesel use by 80 per cent and kept the lights on through the monsoon.

The model is being studied for replication across Arunachal’s many off-grid valleys.