The adoption and use of solar mini-grids in grid-electrified Indian villages

Sharma, Anjali; Agrawal, Shalu; Urpelainen, Johannes

doi:10.1016/j.esd.2020.01.005

Cited by 32 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However, while electricity access in rural areas is seen to foster socioeconomic growth in the communities, there is an inclination for positive impact to benefit communities with higher average household expenditures and with relatively higher incomes [32]. Moreover, the availability and reliability of the power supply are asserted as crucial parameters in encouraging significant and longer use of electricity among rural consumers [33][34][35]. Rural electrification programs fail not just because of poor design considerations and over-or under-estimation of demand but also because of weak regulatory frameworks and vague policies [36][37][38].…”

Section: Impacts Of Electrification To Sustainable Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Power of Electricity: How Effective Is It in Promoting Sustainable Development in Rural Off-Grid Islands in the Philippines?

Lozano

Taboada

2021

Energies

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Electrification plays a crucial role in the advancement of rural communities but establishing its impact to the communities’ sustainable development remains a challenge. This paper presents a pragmatic framework for assessing how electrification affects sustainable development at the grassroots level with eight indicators in the economic, technical, social, and environmental dimensions highlighted. An exploratory factor analysis approach is applied to determine how these dimensions contribute to the community’s overall sustainable development. The framework is applied in two islands in the Philippines of less than 500 households and varying electrification levels. Results indicate that Gilutongan Island, which has less than 24-h electricity access rarely find productive uses of electricity and still make use of conventional fuels for lighting. Meanwhile, Cobrador Island, which has 24-h access see improvements in almost all aspects, although they are slightly burdened by the unaffordability of tariffs. This means that islands with limited hours for electricity access rarely experience positive impacts to their socioeconomic development while the opposite is true for islands with longer access. The framework can be a useful tool for decision- and policy-makers to assess electrification in rural off-grid communities and to streamline efforts in helping these communities achieve sustainable development.

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Section: Impacts Of Electrification To Sustainable Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Power of Electricity: How Effective Is It in Promoting Sustainable Development in Rural Off-Grid Islands in the Philippines?

Lozano

Taboada

2021

Energies

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“…Nigeria, a country with low grid reliability and a large reliance on back-up systems, offers an ideal location. We refer readers to analyses by Barman et al (2017), Pelz et al (2021), andSharma et al (2020) for examples in India.…”

Section: Limitations and Opportunities For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the reliability of SDG 7: the reasons, timing, and fairness of outage distribution for household electricity access solutions

Ferrall

Callaway

Kammen

2022

Environ. Res. Commun.

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The United Nations identifies ensuring “access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” as one of its Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. This article focuses on the comparatively under-investigated question of reliability within the broader goal. We empirically study experienced household electricity reliability using common frameworks in key countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, and India. Datasets represent a diverse set of technologies including solar home systems (SHS), solar pico-grids, and national electricity grids. First, the prevailing reliability metrics - SAIDI and SAIFI – are measured for all datasets. Informed by critical assessments, this article then proposes a suite of new metrics that facilitate improved reliability comparisons by considering the reasons, timing, and fairness of outage distribution. Analyses using our proposed metrics reveal key policy implications for addressing energy poverty in the Global South. Acknowledging that the systems studied provide different capacity, affordability, and carbon footprints, we find that on average, SHS provided comparable hours of lighting to local grid connections, however SHS outages were less equally distributed than those from other sources. In addition, calculations of grid reliability were highly sensitive to measurement techniques and assumptions used, necessitating high resolution data for policy decisions. Finally, economically driven outages conspicuous in pre-paid SHS systems (i.e., disconnections for non-payment) composed a significant portion of experienced unreliability. These findings quantify the important contribution of demand-side affordability to experienced household reliability, thereby allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the reliability of SDG 7.

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“…The reviewed feasibility studies largely follow that pattern of selected modelling usually incorporating technical and financial calculations based on an LCOE approach. They generally demonstrate the tendency of an economic and technical advantage of RE MG systems over grid connections in the rural context and more clearly over fossil fuel alternatives [30,66,67]. The feasibility studies evaluated however usually do not account for potential community eco-system impact factors illustrated in Figure 1 on energy systems including fluctuating income, sensitivity to exogenic effects or existing socio-economic structures.…”

Section: The Sustainability Of Mg Documented In the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite acknowledging the significance of decentralised RE MGs for enhancing access to clean energy in developing regions and the demonstrated positive impacts on rural livelihoods [23] in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the sustainable operation of these systems is challenging and largely remains an unresolved issue, especially if the systems are required to operate in a market environment that requires cost-reflective energy tariffs [24]. Despite a number of commonly reported issues such as technical faults [25,26], limited local capacity for maintenance and operation [27], inappropriate financing models or inadequate operational models that lead to limited affordability of energy and payment defaults [7,[28][29][30] the availability of case studies presenting comprehensive financial, technical and operational data and their systematic review focusing on the sustainability of RE MGs is still limited [31]. However, comprehensive case studies of MGs can substantially enhance the understanding of their successful implementation and operation [32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sustainability of Decentralised Renewable Energy Projects in Developing Countries: Learning Lessons from Zambia

Stritzke

Jain

2021

Energies

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Decentralised renewable energy (RE) systems such as solar PV mini-grids (MG) are considered to be a cornerstone for the strategic achievement of the UN’s energy access goals in the developing world. Many of these systems implemented however face substantial technical, financial and social sustainability challenges which are also a recurring theme in the relevant literature. MG analyses however often lack detailed technical or financial data or apply ‘silo-approaches’ as a comprehensive review of MG case study literature presented in this article reveals. Consequently, this study aims to enhance the understanding of RE MG sustainability in the developing context based on the integrated evaluation of the technical, financial and social dimensions of MG operation through empirical data from community surveys on energy use from Uganda and Zambia and two in-depth MG case studies from Zambia. By presenting detailed technical and financial data in combination with energy consumer perception, the study aims to close existing data gaps on sustainable RE MG operation and offers an approach to evaluate and optimise the operational sustainability of an MG in its individual local context. The article finds that the complex rural community ecosystem is a central, but yet undervalued determinant of MG sustainability in rural developing contexts. The mismatch between energy affordability and MG tariffs threatens MG sustainability and the scaling of energy access projects if not addressed specifically during project development and implementation. Consequently, the article calls for a strategic inclusion of community-ecosystem parameters and MG planning based on realistic energy affordability levels and an added value approach that includes dynamic MG financing mechanisms and targeted measures to generate added value through energy consumption as integral parts of RE MG projects.

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The adoption and use of solar mini-grids in grid-electrified Indian villages

Cited by 32 publications

References 20 publications

The Power of Electricity: How Effective Is It in Promoting Sustainable Development in Rural Off-Grid Islands in the Philippines?

The Power of Electricity: How Effective Is It in Promoting Sustainable Development in Rural Off-Grid Islands in the Philippines?

Measuring the reliability of SDG 7: the reasons, timing, and fairness of outage distribution for household electricity access solutions

The Sustainability of Decentralised Renewable Energy Projects in Developing Countries: Learning Lessons from Zambia

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