Evaluation of Indian rural solar electrification: A case study in Chhattisgarh

Millinger, Markus; Mårlind, Tina; Ahlgren, Erik O.

doi:10.1016/j.esd.2012.08.005

Cited by 59 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Recent studies suggest that off-grid electrification has become an increasingly attractive and popular solution to energy poverty in India and elsewhere in South Asia [11,12,22]. The survey provides insights into the population's preferences, needs, awareness, and views of solar lighting.…”

Section: Survey Results: Solar Power As a Possible Solutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy poverty and perceptions of solar power in marginalized communities: Survey evidence from Uttar Pradesh, India

Urpelainen

2016

Renewable Energy

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a b s t r a c tThe decreased cost of solar electricity generation has given a boost to rural energy markets, but most offgrid businesses remain small. A larger customer base is a precondition for business expansion and access to finance. This article reports findings from a large survey focused on energy access in unelectrified habitations in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, India. While most villagers are dissatisfied with their kerosene lighting and the median monthly expense for this fuel is 100 rupees (USD~1.66), the data analysis also indicates that there is little trust in local companies and a large number of villagers prefer government leadership in electricity supply. These findings suggest that solar entrepreneurs must do more to demonstrate the quality of their products and services to villagers to expand their customer base.

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Section: Survey Results: Solar Power As a Possible Solutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy poverty and perceptions of solar power in marginalized communities: Survey evidence from Uttar Pradesh, India

Urpelainen

2016

Renewable Energy

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“…In contrast, in individual PV or wind systems, the equipment is installed in households; therefore, the link between users and operation and maintenance tasks is stronger, and users are forced to strengthen their technical knowledge to minimise the risk of breakdowns. In fact, the analysed microgrid systems have proven to be more reliable and provide better quality service to users, especially the microhydro scheme, because operators can more easily perform operation and maintenance tasks in centralised systems (Millinger et al, 2012). A greater number of failures were found in individual systems, often due to a lack of user training, which increases operation and maintenance costs and reduces users' confidence in the systems and willingness to pay, ultimately reducing the sustainability of the systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing management models for off-grid renewable energy electrification projects using the Human Development approach: Case study in Peru

Lillo

Ferrer‐Martí

Aristizábal

et al. 2015

Energy for Sustainable Development

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Electrification systems based on renewable energy have proven to be suitable for providing electricity autonomously to rural communities and thus reducing poverty. When implementing these systems, a management model is usually designed to maximise technical and financial sustainability. To improve the design and performance of systems, different evaluations of management models have been made that usually centre on products and final utilities. However, this excessively utilitarian vision of development restricts an analysis of the impact that these projects may have on people's lives. To overcome these limitations, we have used the Human Development approach to evaluate the management model of five electrification projects that use different technologies in Cajamarca (Peru). With this approach, the base of information is enhanced, which enables a broader assessment of various key dimensions of development that should be considered in the management model to improve the impact of such projects. The results show the weaknesses of the design and implementation process of the management model. Several ideas are proposed to avoid these weaknesses and to maximise the chance of success.

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“…Ulsrud et al find that sociotechnical factors may create challenges, especially in contexts where learning effects drive demand growth overwhelming system capacity. DER system quality may also contribute to uneven performance . Needless to say, the gap between people's ability to pay and cost of electrification and how to bridge it is a crucial issue for the adoption of small PV‐grids .…”

Section: Distributed Energy For Rural Electrificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DER system quality may also contribute to uneven performance. 13 Needless to say, the gap between people's ability to pay and cost of electrification and how to bridge it is a crucial issue for the adoption of small PV-grids. 14…”

Section: Distributed Energy For Rural Electrificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The business of distributed solar power: a comparative case study of centralized charging stations and solar microgrids

D’Agostino

Lund

Urpelainen

2016

WIREs Energy & Environment

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How can distributed solar power best meet the energy needs of nonelectrified rural communities? In collaboration with a local technology provider, we conduct a techno‐economic comparison of three different models of distributed solar power in rural India. We compare a centralized charging station with two solar microgrids, one based on prepaid electricity purchases and the other on a fixed monthly fee. Customers report higher levels of satisfaction and fewer technical problems with the microgrids, but the capital cost of the microgrids is much higher than that of the centralized charging station. The prepaid system exhibits poor economic performance because the customers spend very little money on electricity. These results suggest that new business models and technological innovations are needed to strike the right balance between customer needs and commercial viability. WIREs Energy Environ 2016, 5:640–648. doi: 10.1002/wene.209 This article is categorized under: Photovoltaics > Economics and Policy Solar Heating and Cooling > Economics and Policy Energy Research & Innovation > Systems and Infrastructure

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Evaluation of Indian rural solar electrification: A case study in Chhattisgarh

Cited by 59 publications

References 18 publications

Energy poverty and perceptions of solar power in marginalized communities: Survey evidence from Uttar Pradesh, India

Energy poverty and perceptions of solar power in marginalized communities: Survey evidence from Uttar Pradesh, India

Assessing management models for off-grid renewable energy electrification projects using the Human Development approach: Case study in Peru

The business of distributed solar power: a comparative case study of centralized charging stations and solar microgrids

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