Integrated impact evaluation framework for sustainability of project interventions: a framework design for a small scale off-grid rural electrification project in Odisha
Student name: Mr Sechindra Vallury
Guide: Dr Arabinda Mishra
Year of completion: 2014
Host Organisation: TERI University
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Subhes C Bhattacharyya
Abstract: Renewable energy based off-grid energy systems have become one of the most popular methods
of providing electricity access to the most remote locations in rural parts of India, where grid
connection is not feasible. The projects, which are largely based on Village Energy Committee
(VEC) models, have been able to provide practical solutions that are sustainable, environmentfriendly,
and create additional livelihood options for the villagers, thus incorporating economic
development and infrastructure building into the electricity access goals.
However, quite often, technological aspects solely drive these project designs and a number of
such projects have failed in the past, within two to three years of commissioning, owing to the
lack of attention given to important impact evaluations and long-term monitoring of the project.
Such projects have impacts on practically all segments of the communities in which they are
implemented – socio-economic, ecological and cultural. There are few impact assessment studies
available in the literature that focus on certain aspects of the project impacts like socioeconomic
and cultural impact assessment studies. However, these studies do not examine the
cross-linkages between these different aspects.
This study aims to propose an impact evaluation framework for sustainability of projects, by
using the case study of a mini-scale off-grid (solar) rural electrification project in the Dhenkanal
district of Odisha, under a DFID funded project titled Off-grid Access Systems in South Asia
(OASYS).
This study aims to propose an impact evaluation framework, based on a soft systems approach
in order to take into consideration the linkages between different systems. The framework has
been developed based on three parameters: short-term benefits, long-term benefits, and risks of
the project intervention. Conducting focus group discussions, which showed that the project has
significant positive impacts on gender mainstreaming, additional income generation through
various livelihood activities, and school enrolment among children, has validated the framework
variables. However, it has also been observed that the project has a few negative impacts like
increase in alcohol consumption and gambling, and probable exploitation of resources. Causal
loop diagrams have been developed using VENSIM in order to identify all the impacts
comprehensively and establish the cross-linkages between them. Using this framework as a
guide, this study has also proposed a set of indicators to evaluate the impacts of the project and
monitor it over time.
Keywords: Off-grid energy systems, rural electrification, soft systems approach, causal loop
diagrams, VEC models, participatory approaches.
