The Ratnagiri Zilla Parishad in Maharashtra was incurring a steep electricity bill of ₹91.6 million (~$1.07 million) a year on powering streetlights that the 846 gram panchayats had to pay. Last year, the local body hit upon a revolutionary idea to bring down its power bills. But it did not opt for the oft-trodden path of rooftop solar. Instead, it went in for a 1 MW ground-mounted solar project.