ReNew, India’s leading renewable energy company, has partnered with the JN Vidya Mandir school, Dholera, Gujarat, as part of its CSR initiative.ReNew is primarily focused on empowering communities and improving their quality of life through education and giving the m means of live lihood in alignment with ReNew’s vision and mission.
Interventions by ReNew in the school -JN Vidya Mandir:
- Building Renovation: Extensive repairs and renovations have been completed across all classrooms and corridors. The ceiling has been repaired to prevent water seepage during the monsoon season.
- Renewable Energy Installation: A 5kW rooftop solar setup (without batteries) was installed, leading to a yearly saving of INR 60,000-70,000. (Cost per kW – INR 60,000; total cost – INR 3 lacs)
- Establishment of Smart Classroom: A smart classroom has been set up to enhance digital learning opportunities.
- Provision of Clean Drinking Water: A clean drinking water unit has been installed, ensuring safe hydration for students and staff.
- Furniture Upgrade: Old furniture has been replaced with new, durable options for improved comfort and learning environment.
- Upcoming Sanitation Facilities: Construction of a sanitation complex both for boys and girls will commence as soon as the ground is suitable for building.
- Skill Development Center: A skill development center is being established to offer vocational training and enhance employment opportunities for students. This center will also act as a training ground for ReNew’s workforce in solar module and cell manufacturing.
This initiative is aligned with ReNew’s Lighting Lives program, which focuses on last-mile electrification of schools that receive less than 3 hours of electricity through solar energy, thereby changing the education delivery and creating a force of young green ambassadors through clean energy advocacy. This is further aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7- Access to clean and affordable energy. Through this program, ReNew has electrified 183 schools and digitized 119 schools impacting lives of more than 50,000 students. In Dholera, more than 200 students would benefit through this initiative and our target is to provide skill training to 300 women and men over a period of one year and 1000 over 5 years.
Commenting on the initiative, Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-founder and Chairperson, Sustainability, ReNew, said, “We are deeply committed to creating lasting impact in communities like Dholera. By transforming JN Vidya Mandir into a sustainable and progressive learning environment, equipped with clean energy and digital resources, we’re investing in the future of education and local development. The upcoming skill development center will further our goal of empowering individuals with vocational training in solar technology, preparing them for meaningful careers in clean energy. At ReNew, we see sustainability not just as an operational goal but and a responsibility to drive positive change and build resilient communities.”
Within Gujarat, ReNew’s CSR initiatives have benefitted communities in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Kutch, Patan, and Surendranagar.Below are ReNew’s major CSR activities undertaken by the company in Gujarat:
Lighting Lives: In Gujarat, 25 government rural schools have been electrified,and 24 schools have been supported with Digital labs in the regions of Kutch, Patan, Ahmedabad,and Bhavnagar. To enhance the digital learning infrastructure, 7 smart classrooms have been established in various schools across Gujarat.Along with solar electrification and digital labs, various infrastructure support has also been provided to more than 10 schools in the Kutch and Dholera, including building repairs and construction, provision of furniture and electrical equipment, etc.
For improving sanitation,especially for female students, 4 Schools have been supported with a toilet block in the region of Kutch &Dholera- Ahmedabad.
Clean Drinking Water Units for Schools: ReNewsupported 4 schools with clean drinking water units that include Water coolers & Filters in the Patan& Kutch District.
Lake excavation: Excavation of 18 community lakes was done in alignment with SujalamSufalam scheme of the Government of Gujarat in the Kutch district, impacting 23,000 lives. Post excavation, the capacity of lakes increased which contributed significantly towards the water security of the nearby villages.
Skill Development Training: ReNew’s Project Surya, which focuses on skilling of women salt pan workers, as solar panel technicians has been implemented in Kutch, Patan,andSurendanagardistricts of Gujarat. More than 400 women have been trained under this project, which has positively impacted their livelihood.
Blanket distribution: Under ‘Gift Warmth’, ReNew’s annual blanket distribution drive, over 80,000 blankets have been distributed to the underprivileged across Gujarat, bringing comfort to their lives by helping them cope with harsh winters.
Installation of Solar Street Lights: More than 100 solar-powered street lights have been installed in different villages across Kutch andPatan District. These environment-friendly solar powered street lights not only ensure the safety and security of the village but also add to enhanced quality of life & promoting economic activities even after the sunset in the region.
ReNew has been engaging in social responsibility activities since the beginning of its CSR journey in 2014 when the CSR law came into being in India. The company started with 1 site in Maharashtra and by FY 2023-24, it has expanded its reach to over 12 states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Odisha. The company’s CSR initiatives cover 740+ villages, positively impacting over 1.4 million individuals.
ReNew has a commissioned capacity of ~1550MW of wind, solar & wind-solar hybrid projects in 7 districts of Gujarat. These are under different categories i.e. State bids, Central bids, supply of RE power to state-based industrial units, etc. The renewable energy major has solar manufacturing facilities at Dholera, which include 2.4GW solar modules and 6.5 GW solar cell capacity (2.5GW in Ph-1 & additional 4 GW in Ph-2) of which module facility production has started in January ’24 and cell production is expected to start soon.ReNew’s investment in Gujarat stands at Rs.~ 12000 crores, and the company generates around 2200 jobs (direct and indirect) through its RE projects in the state.
