●        Meeting oxygen supply via oxygen cylinders and concentrators for the COVID patients

●        Facilitating in-person and telemedicine consultations for those with chronic conditions

●        Procuring and distributing PPE to health professionals and essential workers and others

The mini grid villages in India have observed an intense health crisis in 2021 as compared to 2020. As per the recent surveys conducted by SPI across mini-grid villages, 77% participants expressed COVID care facilities are inaccessible in case of emergency. Last year the main concern for rural households was livelihood. This year it is about access to healthcare. Lack of awareness and COVID appropriate behaviour still exists in the rural community with half the participants surveyed believing that their communities aren’t taking preventive measures like masking and sanitizing.

Commenting on the partnership, Jaideep Mukherji, CEO, Smart Power India, said, “Last year we focussed on providing livelihood support to the rural community. This year, we see an urgent need to address the issue of lack of access to quality medical services. Health and safety of our mini grid customers and ESCO employees are some of our immediate priorities. These partnerships aim to support our ailing health infrastructure.”

SPI had launched a Customer Voucher Scheme (CVS) for mini-grid customers in 2020. It aimed to benefit over 125,000 lives in 200 mini-grid villages in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. CVS enabled the mini-grid customers to redeem the vouchers against their monthly electricity bill issued by Mini-Grid Operators (MGO) for a period of 3 months.  The scheme is believed to impact over 125,000 lives in 200 mini-grid villages. This year, SPI is in the process of planning such health related incentives to ease the health care burden in the catchment areas.

Contribution details:

About Smart Power India (SPI)

SPI, a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation, was established in 2015 to develop and scale sustainable models to accelerate electricity access and spur economic development amongst the rural underserved communities. It is committed to create knowledge and accountability in the public domain through robust evidence-based research and provide field and analytical support to the Government, private sector, implementers and other donors in their pursuits for rural electricity access.  SPI develops and disseminates relevant knowledge in the rural electricity access and services space with an aim to promote research and innovation and partners with policymakers, practitioners and academic institutions to come up with actionable insights and innovative strategies. While SPI’s work covers the spectrum of supply and demand side issues of rural electricity, its focus is the last-mile customer. SPI exchanges knowledge by promoting and facilitating platforms for networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research, networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research.

The post Powering Health care! SPI partners with 3 NGOs to provide COVID relief and health care to the rural community appeared first on Startagist.

Smart Power India’s MDZ program covered the entire Paradeep Electrical Division of Tata Power Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL). Paradeep Electrical Division of TPCODL supplies electricity to a population of 5.5 Lakhs (that is 1.1 Lakh customers) over an area of 860 Sq. Km. During the pilot program, it was found that poor grid reliability, inadequate quality of electricity and poor customer service led to a major trust deficit among the customers leading to unviable last mile service. The MDZ program therefore aimed at addressing the trust deficit by focusing on the quality of electricity service, especially with regard to metering, billing, and collection.

Commenting on the learnings from the MDZ program, Jaideep Mukherji, CEO, Smart Power India, said, “Our experience in the mini-grids program has shown that improved electricity supply leads to positive payment behavior among customers, which then contributes to improved viability of rural electricity supply. The interventions are built upon our past learnings from both on-grid and mini-grids ecosystem to address the challenges.”

The program engaged Women Self Help Group (WSHG) as micro-franchisees to improve the last mile electricity access and quality of service. The program helped WSHGs, also known as ‘Bijulee Didi’s’ find employment with potential income of Rs 8,000 per month. The engagement with local communities resulted in the creation of localized electricity distribution service delivery mechanism. It demonstrated a comprehensive model of a Public Private People Partnership to enhance rural electricity access. This created a Win-Win-Win model for the Utility, Customer and Communities. For the utility, the program demonstrated a “sustainable rural electrification service” model which is not only viable but also improves the electricity access profile, enhances consumption of grid electricity and better quality of supply to customers. For the customer, the program provides better quality of electricity, supply, improvement in metering, billing, and collection service. For the communities, the program provided income opportunities to 160 rural women, enabling rural enterprises to save on the expensive diesel consumption thereby generating better income and health benefits by switching from diesel to electricity consumption.

The MDZ Programme leveraged the relationship between customer experience and viability of rural electricity supply to create a virtuous cycle to enhance the quality of electricity delivery. As a result, the DISCOMs improved the reliability and quality of supply by reinforcing the electricity network. This led to better customer experience which ensured that the customers paid their bill on a timely basis, making the rural electrification service viable. This is a first of its kind experiment that used insights to improve the state of electricity access in Odisha. “I believe that the MDZ program and the learnings from this can be adapted and replicated in regions where electricity access is scanty and unpredictable. The next phase of growth in India’s power sector should see innovative solutions such as the MDZ program for better access and financial wellbeing of the service providers,” added Mr. Mukherji.  

About Smart Power India (SPI)

SPI, a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation, was established in 2015 to develop and scale sustainable models to accelerate electricity access and spur economic development amongst the rural underserved communities. It is committed to create knowledge and accountability in the public domain through robust evidence-based research and provide field and analytical support the Government, private sector, implementers, and other donors in their pursuits for rural electricity access.  SPI develops and disseminates relevant knowledge in the rural electricity access and services space with an aim to promote research and innovation and partners with policymakers, practitioners, and academic institutions to come up with actionable insights and innovative strategies. While SPI’s work covers the spectrum of supply and demand side issues of rural electricity, its focus is the last-mile customer. SPI exchanges knowledge by promoting and facilitating platforms for networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research, networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research.

The post Smart Power India releases learnings from its Model Distribution Zone Program appeared first on Startagist.

Reliability is key to productive use of electricity and economic development of rural communities

Smart Power India (SPI) today released the findings of its ‘Demand Generation Manual for Solar Mini-grid.’ The objective of this manual is to suggest ways to generate demand for solar mini-grids and increase the electricity consumption among underserved rural communities for better social and economic development.  The mini-grid sector has played a critical role in providing access to reliable electricity in rural  in India. Reliability of electricity not only enhances the lighting and productive uses but only spurs micro-enterprise activities in the villages. The energy service companies (ESCOs) running mini-grids need to focus on meeting rural India’s existing power demand along with building additional demand for power by supporting the development of local micro-enterprises to ensure financial viability and economic growth.    

Speaking about the launch, Jaideep Mukherji, CEO, Smart Power India said, “India has made phenomenal strides in achieving universal electrification. It is indeed a welcome development that due to the government’s persistent efforts, all villages in India have been electrified and today, almost 100% households have received electricity connections. Now that the government has achieved this commendable feat, it is time to shift attention to the next electrification challenge of providing reliable electricity supply not just for lighting purposes but also for productive use.”  

Despite significant strides in the universal village and household electrification, electricity consumption has not seen much improvement. The gap is majorly a result of mismatches between characteristics of demand and supply. Mini-grids have been greatly successful in bridging this gap in rural areas with reliable electricity supply. A rural mini-grid distribution network extends 1-2 km from the plant, providing electricity to 100-140 households, 50-60 shops, and a mix of productive users. Demand Generation Manual for Mini Solar Grid aims to address the relevance  of electricity for productive use by creating adequate demand among customers.

Key demand generation strategies:

Demand generation strategy is a means to create awareness among potential customers about the mini-grids and to help Energy Service Companies (ESCOS) generate revenue to sustain their operations. This then leads to a triple-win: a win for the households, a win for the rural micro-enterprise and a win for mini-grid operators.

a)     Creating awareness among potential users: Communication plays a dominant role in shaping demand, addressing barriers, communicating benefits, and acquiring consumers – for mini-grids. In recent years effective communication has evolved from sporadic awareness-raising information, education, and communication (IEC) activities to strategic, evidence-based behaviour change communication (BCC) strategies. The change has come about with the realization that as socio-cultural and gender norms influence individual behaviour, the need to mobilize communities in support of recommended behaviours is imperative. For mini-grid projects, the ESCOs need to design a communication strategy that targets individuals, households, and the community separately so that behaviour changes can be stimulated.

b)     Target underserved but high demand regions/ communities: Targeting a high demand area is critical for generating adequate demand. A robust site selection framework should be able to estimate the potential demand of the village as well as provide inputs to the demand generation strategy. The critical factor for the success of any solar mini-grid is its reliability in meeting consumer demand cost-effectively. At the core of the framework is the generation of electricity demand to ensure that the mini-grid is sustainable, scalable, and attractive for an ESCO.

c)     Demand generation for existing loads: Existing energy users meet their needs from sources like kerosene, solar home systems, diesel generator sets, and government grid. The electric appliances used by existing energy users are defined as existing loads. Most of the households, shops, commercial establishments, and institutions can be classified as an existing load. A significant consumption is for lighting, fans, and mobile charging. Well-to-do households and bigger shops may use other electric appliances like television, computers, refrigerator, mixer grinders, and geysers. Meeting energy needs of existing loads are for two customer segments: (a) households and (b) shops. The types of loads are typically lighting, fans, TV, and mobile charging. Targeting the existing load is an entry point activity for the ESCO and can be done quickly. Tapping these loads is essential for demand degeneration.

d)     Demand enhancement through energy efficient appliances: Meeting the needs of energy-efficient appliances contributes up to 40 to 45% of the total demand for electricity of the mini-grid. The introduction of energy-efficient appliances (EEAs) creates numerous additional benefits for both the consumers as well the ESCOs.

“The Demand Generation Manual outlines  the importance of electricity for productive use by creating adequate demand among customers. An increase in demand for electricity not only improves the quality of life but also helps in enhancing the incomes.” added Mr Mukherji.  Mini-grid have the potential to be a significant driver of rural development, unlocking latent economic potential and livelihoods, while simultaneously enabling aspirations for improved quality of life.

Link to the full report: Demand Generation Handbook

About Smart Power India (SPI)

SPI, a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation was established in 2015 to develop and scale sustainable models to accelerate electricity access and spur economic development amongst the rural underserved communities. It is committed to create knowledge and accountability in the public domain through robust evidence-based research and provide field and analytical support the Government, private sector, implementers and other donors in their pursuits for rural electricity access.  SPI develops and disseminates relevant knowledge in rural electricity access and services space with an aim to promote research and innovation and partners with policymakers, practitioners and academic institutions to come up with actionable insights and innovative strategies. While SPI’s work covers the spectrum of supply and demand-side issues of rural electricity, its focus is the last-mile customer. SPI exchanges knowledge by promoting and facilitating platforms for networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research, networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research.

The post Smart Power India’s Demand Generation Manual for Solar Mini Grids appeared first on Startagist.

Commenting on the report launch, Jaideep Mukherji, CEO, Smart Power India, said,  “Mini-grid developers in India, Africa, and around the world have led the way in establishing new business models, deploying innovative technologies, and securing government recognition and support. Yet mini-grids continue to operate in remote locations under challenging conditions which put immense strain on plant electronics, batteries, and other equipment. This leads to accelerated degradation which in practice often goes unnoticed and unmitigated.”  Mini-grids operate in challenging environments, and their viability depends largely upon building and maintaining integrated and efficient technical systems. Due to lack of resources, low availability of appropriate equipment, and inadequate technical support services, projects frequently struggle to realize their full potential. Robust evaluation of mini-grids’ technical performance is a critical requirement. The Guide offers the standardized protocols to follow in order to construct a detailed and far-sighted assessment of a mini-grid’s health and the appropriateness of its underlying design.

“We foresee every step of monitoring becoming increasingly streamlined: from data collection, to benchmarking, to interpretation, and hence to confident prescription of interventions which will improve and safeguard performance,” added Mr. Mukherji.The Guide seeks to support the knowledge base of various stakeholders in the broader mini-grid ecosystem, including technical services companies, equipment manufacturers, regulators, and investors. Currently, in the absence of any standard established monitoring framework, new entrants to the sector are forced to commit to a period of experimentation in how to track and manage performance. This leads to cost inefficiencies and mistreatment of equipment. This Guide helps mini-grid developers avoid elementary pitfalls, providing a foundation that can be built upon and adapted as they gain more experience in the capabilities and requirements of the equipment on the market.

Mini-grid plant monitoring consists of three complementary activities.

1.      Technical Audit: Adeep and thorough evaluation of plant equipment, architecture, and operations requiring a visit from a specialized audit team. A technical audit provides a detailed snapshot of the plant at a given point in time, providing a baseline for future investigations. It also outlines corrective measures and projects future performance.

2.      Routine Monitoring: Local mini-grid field personnel need to monitor the plant components. These activities maintain a proactive and continuous understanding of plant behavior and give opportunity for swift intervention before incipient problems escalate

3.      Remote Technical Assessment: The tracking of specific technical indicators to reveal longer-term trends in the performance of mini-grids is critical. With remote data collection from in-plant sensors and automated analysis on cloud servers, these key indicators give continuous comparative insight into whether a plant is meeting expected performance.

The mini-grid sector as a whole has now developed to the point where routine technical audits and monitoring are indispensable for both aging and newly-built plants. The root causes of under performance can in some cases be revealed through a single approach alone, but typically insights from all three must be combined to arrive at a complete picture. Once underlying issues have been identified, short- and long-term solutions can be devised; weighing the benefits and costs of these, plant management can optimally allocate their resources in correcting the performance of existing plants and revising the design of new builds

This Guide lays foundations for development and implementation of a variety of assessment approaches. Mini-grid technologies continue to mature, and the range and quality of sector specific services continue to improve, making valuable contributions for the development of the sector.

Link to the Technical Guide: https://smartpowerindia.org/pdf/techinical-guide-10th-sept-low-res.pdf

About Smart Power India (SPI)

SPI, a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation, was established in 2015 to develop and scale sustainable models to accelerate electricity access and spur economic development amongst the rural underserved communities. It is committed to create knowledge and accountability in the public domain through robust evidence-based research and provide field and analytical support the Government, private sector, implementers and other donors in their pursuits for rural electricity access.  SPI develops and disseminates relevant knowledge in the rural electricity access and services space with an aim to promote research and innovation and partners with policymakers, practitioners and academic institutions to come up with actionable insights and innovative strategies. While SPI’s work covers the spectrum of supply and demand side issues of rural electricity, its focus is the last-mile customer. SPI exchanges knowledge by promoting and facilitating platforms for networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research, networking, knowledge sharing and collaborative research.

The post Smart Power India launches its Technical Monitoring Guide appeared first on Startagist.