Relevance of mini and micro grids in electrified rural India
Student name: Ms Saloni Sachdeva
Guide: Mr Amit Kumar
Year of completion: 2016
Host Organisation: Development Alternatives
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Ms Rowena Mathew
Abstract: As India, one of the leading emerging economies, continues to develop rapidly, its energy demand grows apace. The energy sector holds the key to accelerating the country’s economic growth; inadequate supply of energy results in economic stagnation and, in turn, suboptimal development.
Several government and non-government agencies are promoting DRE in India. The Ministry of Power (MoP), through its DDG (Decentralised Distributed Generation) Policy, and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), through its various schemes such as the Village Energy Security Programme (VESP) and Remote Village Electrification (RVE) Programme, play a central role in remote rural electrification.
This thesis focuses on finding alternative solutions for rural electrification suggesting solar mini and micro grids as a feasible and beneficial option. It also tries to predict the futuristic issues that would arise when grid reaches places where solar mini and micro grids are already installed.
This thesis also tries to study the various technical, social, economic, institutional, policy and regulatory aspects of the DRE sector specifically solar mini and micro grids. The author believes that such an exercise will help all stakeholders to get a broader perspective and deeper understanding of the challenges facing the DRE sector and help private developer and the government to figure out solutions and be prepared for the future.
Keywords: Decentralised Rural Electrification, Solar Mini and Micro grids, Business Models, Grid Integration
