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Solar hothouses in Ladakh, India


Solar hothouses extend the vegetation period in Ladakh, which is located at a high altitude.

Project Type
SunSun WaterWater
Project NamePassive Solar Greenhouses and Micro Hydropower Systems in the Himalaya
Project LocationIndia, region Ladakh
Project StandardVER
Emission Reductions3'900 t CO2-eq. (over 10 years)
Situation without projectAir and truck transports, diesel generators
Project StatusOperation
Project ValidationExpert panel
Project StartOctober 2005
DocumentationsHimalaya PDD Himalaya PDD  (481 kb)
Himalaya Validation and Verification Himalaya Validation and Verification  (1.2 mb)
Himalaya Press Kit Ashden Awards Himalaya Press Kit Ashden Awards  (690 kb)

500 solar hothouses extend the vegetation period and improve the living conditions of the rural population in the Himalayas. Moreover, 20 micro-hydro power plants have replaced diesel generators.

Through the construction of 500 hothouses, the vegetation period is extended and at the same time the living conditions of the rural population in the Himalayas are improved. Through the hothouses, imports of foodstuffs by airfreight are also reduced. The construction of 20 small 10 kW water power plants replaces diesel generators and reduces additional CO2 emissions.

The population in the high and cold Indian Himalayas lives under hard conditions. The vegetation period lasts only three months and the agriculturally useful area is very small. The subsistence economy is therefore oriented towards grain production which hardly yields sufficient nourishment for the long winters. Ladakh can only be reached by road over a short time period each year since the passes are usually blocked by snow. Therefore, a lot of food has to be flown in by air.

The project is coordinated and carried out by the French development organization GERES. It takes an integrated approach: The goal is to give the rural population the possibility to extend the vegetation period, to generate income through the sale of vegetables on the market, and thus improve the inhabitants' living conditions. Within this project, myclimate supports the construction of 500 solar hothouses. In this way, vegetables can be grown locally and do not have to be flown in from far away, thus contributing to the protection of the climate. In addition, myclimate supports the construction of twenty 10 kW micro-hydro power plants. These supply remote regions with power and make the use of diesel generators unnecessary.