CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

The Status of Mini-grids in Rural India

ROUNDTABLE DIALOGUE ON MINI-GRID IMPLEMENTATION
IN JHARKHAND
May 6, 2022 | Ranchi, India | Lanvin Concessao and Dheeraj Kumar Gupta

OVERVIEW CONTENTS
1 Overview
On May 6, 2022, in Ranchi, WRI India and the Transform Rural India
2 Introduction
Foundation jointly organized the dialogue ‘Mini-grid Implementation in
3 Dialogue Outcomes
Jharkhand’. The dialogue included discussions on the economic sustainability
9 Next Steps
of mini-grids, the integration of productive-use-of-energy (PUE) applications
for enhanced mini-grid utilization, policy support and financial requirements 10 Participants

for scaling, and frameworks for measuring the ground-level impacts of mini- 11 References

grids. The dialogue was attended by 38 experts from various backgrounds in 11 Acknowledgments

the mini-grid sector who have implemented, financed and/or designed mini- 12 About the Authors
grids for electricity access in rural and remote parts of Jharkhand and other
Indian states (see list of participants). The content of these conference proceedings
reflects the views of the conference
During the discussions, experts highlighted the role of mini-grid participants and does not necessarily reflect
implementation in delivering access to electrification in rural and remote the views of the World Resources Institute or
parts of India, as well as its role in the country’s ongoing energy transition. other conference partners. These proceedings
aim to faithfully reflect the conversations
Equally important, the participants discussed the barriers to scaling mini-
and content generated at the conference
grid solutions in the present policy environment that has favored grid but for ease of readability some wording
extension to all households. Participants emphasized the socioeconomic has been edited.
benefits of mini-grids for communities: providing access to a reliable and
quality power source, improving productivity and generating income.
They stressed the need for an enabling policy environment to create
mini-grids that are sustainable and financially viable for unserved and
underserved communities.

Participants offered the following recommendations:

Promote community engagement and ownership for the inclusive growth

and sustainability of mini-grids
Map electricity access and development indicators across energy-poor
states, especially where providing grid-connected power is not feasible

Conference Proceeding | 1
 Establish coordination mechanisms between mini-grid developers and electricity distribution companies
to provide reliable and affordable power in rural areas
Create a conducive regulatory environment for tariff-setting and promotion of mini-grids
Increase mini-grid capacity utilization by looking beyond household electrification and supporting uptake
of PUE applications for livelihoods
Integrate equity considerations into beneficiary selection and load management when
adopting PUE appliances
Develop impact frameworks to build evidence of mini-grid sustainability

INTRODUCTION
Access to electricity is a key driver and enabler of socioeconomic growth and improved livelihoods. In India,
the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (‘Saubhagya’) was launched in September 2017 to provide
energy access to all by providing last-mile connectivity and electrifying all unelectrified households in the
country. This target was achieved in March 2019, with the government declaring 100 percent electrification
of all ‘willing’ households. This has been a commendable effort, with over 26.2 million rural households
being connected to the national grid since 2017 (REC Limited 2022). This effort was aimed at extending
the reach of grid electricity, but it did not specifically address the quality and reliability of electricity supply.

While the expansion of the main grid has significantly improved electricity access, mini-grids have played
an important role in improving reliability of electricity services, particularly in rural areas which either have
been unelectrified under previous rural electrification schemes or face continuous reliability problems like
power outages and voltage fluctuations. This is one of the reasons why there were more than 14,000 mini-
grid projects and over 2 million solar home systems deployed in India as of 2019 (SPI and ISEP 2019).

On May 6, 2022, the Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF) and WRI India jointly organized a
dialogue that brought together experts from civil society, financial institutions, government and the private
sector to discuss the progress of mini-grid implementation in Jharkhand and other Indian states, and to
reflect on the opportunities and barriers to scaling up mini-grid adoption. The dialogue was designed
to collectively reflect on the lessons learned from mini-grid implementation across the country, in terms
of system design, economic sustainability of mini-grids, integrating productive use applications, policy
frameworks and financing for scaling up the use of mini-grids, as well as frameworks and metrics to measure
mini-grids’ impact.

The dialogue was aimed at addressing some of the critical questions and lessons learned from past
implementation through conversations around the following themes:

What measures are being taken to ensure the sustainability of mini-grids, in terms of both community
engagement and operations and maintenance?
What approaches have been used to set tariffs for mini-grids?
How do consumers, implementing agencies and electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) approach
the issues involved in interconnecting mini-grids with the national grid?
How do we create demand for PUE applications in mini-grids? How is load managed to ensure
optimal utilization?
How can the financing landscape for mini-grids be improved? How can measuring and monitoring
impact frameworks support the scaling of mini-grids?

2 | WRI-INDIA.ORG
 Conference Proceedings

DIALOGUE OUTCOMES
Promote community engagement and ownership for the inclusive
growth and sustainability of mini-grids
Communities play multiple roles in the mini-grid ecosystem: as beneficiaries, as owners and as customers of
mini-grids, depending on the model of implementation and financing.

Experts argued that community involvement can increase the sustainability of mini-grid systems if
communities are empowered to operate, manage and take ownership of their systems. Given that these
are high-investment infrastructure, community buy-in right from the planning phase is essential to ensure
that the systems are deployed in locations where they do not quickly become obsolete—due to either lack
of utilization or inadequate management and servicing of the system. The community’s energy needs
must be properly mapped with aspirational loads (see Figure 1) while designing and sizing of mini-grids.

FIGURE 1 | Focus Group Discussion with mini-grid customers at Kurdeg Block, Simdega
District, Jharkhand

Source: Compiled by WRI India

At the planning stage, community involvement informs developers about communities’ energy needs,
aspirations, socioeconomic conditions, crop production patterns, challenges, opportunities for storage
and processing within the village and willingness and propensity to pay for services. Experts noted that
formalized institutions formed within community, such as self-help groups, farmer producer organizations
and Panchayati Raj institutions, play an important role in ensuring the inclusion of all communities in
infrastructure planning for villages. These governance structures can ensure that no one is excluded from the
benefits of infrastructure, regardless of caste, gender, age or religion.

Where formalized structures do not exist, robust community institutions, such as village energy committees
(VECs), are created to oversee the management of mini-grids in villages. These VECs have decision-making
authority on matters across the spectrum of mini-grid operations—including planning, installation, tariff
determination and payment collection, operations and maintenance.

Entry Points for Action

It is important that community institutions be strengthened and encouraged to take up ownership of the
mini-grids. Mini-grid developers should actively involve community and grassroots organizations to help
build the capacity of VECs. Representation within these committees must consider gender balance and

The Status of Mini-grids in Rural India | 3

 adequate participation from all sections of society, especially the most marginalized groups. The committees
also play a role in creating equitable ownership of PUE appliances by creating checks and balances to ensure
that the financially well-off aren’t the only ones in the community who can benefit from (and possibly
exploit) mini-grids.

Map electricity access and development indicators across energy-

poor states, especially where providing grid-connected power is not
feasible
With the expansion of the main grid-based electrification, future mini-grid deployment will require
methodical selection of unserved and underserved areas. Participants found that bringing electricity access to
communities left behind in socioeconomic development should be prioritized for mini-grid deployment. One
example shared was that of particularly vulnerable tribal groups in Jharkhand.

In 2022, Jharkhand released a new solar policy to reach a cumulative target of 110 megawatts for mini- and
micro-grids, in the form of solar villages, by 2027 (JREDA 2022). Geospatial analysis can help government
stakeholders map the right locations for implementation of solar villages. Geospatial tools like the Energy
Access Explorer (EAE), developed by World Resources Institute, can provide location-specific information
on resource availability such as solar irradiation, as well as data on infrastructure like road network, and
transmission and distribution networks, to show the current energy supply situation. Mini-grid developers
can also use the EAE to assess the level of available service, customer location, concentration of demand and
available resources such as water bodies. This can also help government and development finance institutions
direct the flow of capital into the right regions and communities to support electrification efforts.

Entry Points for Action

As the Jharkhand State Solar Policy and similar renewable energy policies state, implementation of solar
energy projects in rural India will need better identification and mapping of suitable government and
private land banks. Open-source geospatial platforms like the EAE can help different stakeholders identify
and prioritize areas for energy access interventions with mini-grids as the supply source. Geospatial tools
can help governments map the villages where main grid extension is expensive for DISCOMs. Such
tools can allow users to aggregate supply and demand data from multiple databases and can be tailored to
accommodate state specific data needs, based on the availability of datasets.

Establish coordination mechanisms between mini-grid developers and

electricity distribution companies to provide reliable and affordable
power in rural areas
Experts at the dialogue articulated diverse views on the integration of centralized and decentralized grids.
Several mini-grid developers felt that DISCOMS do not fully recognize the presence and importance
of mini-grids, and often see them as competitors. Lack of publicly laid out plans and timelines from the
utilities for grid expansion has led to lack of awareness among mini-grid developers and consumers. This has
further led to duplication of infrastructure in several areas, with varying implications for investments and for
electricity supply to consumers. In some cases, once the grid was extended to an area, the mini-grids stopped
being used and became stranded assets. In other regions with an unreliable main grid, new mini-grids have
been deployed and are working well, as long as the main grid remains unreliable.

While not all mini-grids provide 24-7 power supply to communities, two things differentiate the mini-
grids installed in rural and remote regions from the conventional grid: the predictability of electricity supply
(reliability) and the improved quality of power supply for larger loads (i.e., three-phase connection). For
this reason, some customers have continued to use mini-grid power in locations where grid power-supply
quality and reliability issues persist, and they have been willing to pay higher mini-grid tariffs (Rockefeller
Foundation et al. 2017).

4 | WRI-INDIA.ORG
 Conference Proceedings

Moreover, meaningful integration of mini-grids with the main grid is plagued with technological challenges,
including unsafe interconnection with the grid at the correct frequency and phase, inconsistent frequency
and voltage regulation for both mini-grids and utilities, grid instability due to intermittent power production
on the mini-grids and the need for specialized hybrid inverters that can both export power to the grid and
run without using the grid as a reference (Greacen et al. 2013).

Complementing mini-grids with the conventional grid has been brought up in many policy dialogues, and mini-
grid operators have been provided with several options for access to national grids in rural areas. Specifically,
mini-grids can:
- Run in parallel to the conventional grid with separate distribution networks;
- Sell electricity to the conventional grid at a tariff approved by the regulators;
- Operate as an energy service company for the conventional grid in regions where the conventional grid is
deemed unfeasible; and
- Exit and transfer the assets to a DISCOM at a cost agreed to by the mini-grid operator and
the DISCOM (Energy Department, Government of Bihar 2017; OERC 2019; UPNEDA
2016; JREDA 2022).

Entry Points for Action

Integrating the mini-grids with the main grid would significantly improve the reach to unserved and
underserved areas and build a holistic environment for electricity services. Initiatives that can avoid stranded
mini-grid assets and enable greater coexistence (rather than competition) of solutions, while also providing
the most economical way for communities to access reliable electricity, need to be identified. Coordination
and regulatory mechanisms need to be set up to help bridge the gap between the perspectives of DISCOMs
and those of mini-grid developers.

Create a conducive regulatory environment for tariff-setting and

promotion of mini-grids
Section 14 of the Electricity Act of 2003 exempts a person who intends to generate and distribute electricity
in a rural area (as notified by the state government) from obtaining a license. Therefore, mini-grids are
mostly unregulated (except for safety and supply norms as imposed by the regulator under Section 53 of the
Electricity Act of 2003), and tariffs are often decided by developers. Some developers consult the community
in determining the tariff to be charged, while others do not. Tariff structures are designed based on the
prevailing conditions of electricity access in the village and may vary from site to site. For example, the
domestic tariff for a completely unelectrified village will differ from that of a partially electrified village.

This also extends to tariffs for productive use of energy (PUE) applications such as irrigation, where existing
operating costs (such as current pump capacity, time taken to irrigate a plot of land, costs for fuel and for
pump maintenance) are evaluated and tariffs are set to keep the operational costs lower than a diesel-based
pump equivalent. With the energy consumption per hour for commercial appliances being higher than tariffs
for domestic use, PUE consumer groups are charged higher, thereby cross-subsidizing household consumers.

Some mini-grids financed through grants or corporate social responsibility funding operate as a social good.
In these cases, customers are charged a nominal per unit cost (around 10 rupees [INR] per kilowatt-hour
[kWh]), irrespective of the type of load. This makes PUE appliances very cost-competitive compared to
existing diesel-based applications.

Currently, mini-grid developers charge relatively higher tariffs to sustain and expand their operations For
example, the energy charges per kWh charged by Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) for
domestic rural connection is around INR 5.75/kWh, excluding fixed costs (JSERC 2020). In comparison,
dialogue participants estimated that mini-grid tariffs can range from INR 10/kWh to INR 45/kWh,
depending on time of use. For solar mini-grids, day-time power is charged less, and customers are

The Status of Mini-grids in Rural India | 5

 encouraged to shift most PUE loads to the daytime. Users are charged a higher tariff during evening and
night hours, since during these times solar mini-grids will run on batteries.

Entry Points for Action

Given that these tariffs range from two to six times the tariff of a grid electricity connection in rural areas,
the use case for these mini-grids may be limited to places where reliable grid-connected power does not
exist. Mini-grids built on zero- or low-cost capital with no or limited expectations of return may be hard
to sustain in the long run, especially if funding arrangements are not in place for continued operations and
maintenance of the system. The need for regulatory oversight needs to be explored in order to: support tariff
determination, balance the long-term interests of various stakeholders and settle disputes. State government
support for the mini-grid sector, through subsidies and investments, will strengthen the rationale for
regulatory oversight.

Increase mini-grid capacity utilization by looking beyond household

electrification and supporting uptake of PUE applications for
livelihoods
Experts at the dialogue highlighted that while the focus of early mini-grid projects was on meeting the
basic lighting and mobile phone charging needs of households, the expansion of the Saubhagya scheme to
electrify households has also resulted in a shift towards deployment of mini-grid-enabled productive loads
and microenterprises.

Choosing the right PUE application requires knowledge of the existing village environment and available
resources like land, water, forest produce, crops and small industries. In addition, any new PUE will depend
on new resources being made available to the users. For example, improved access to energy would allow
farmers to use electric pumps to irrigate their fields and cultivate new crops (e.g., growing mustard in rabi
season). This creates a new demand for processing of mustard seeds to produce oil, in addition to the existing
practice of bartering crops in exchange for mustard oil, which is a staple in many households in Jharkhand.

Developers should assess the economic viability of these PUE applications. Often community members
struggle to pay the full upfront cost of buying PUE appliances. The right last-mile financing options for
communities need to be created. These could take the form of government subsidies, low-interest loans to
procure appliances, innovative servicing models facilitated by mini-grid developers (e.g., pay-as-you-use)
or rental models.

For traditional loans for productive-use appliances, financiers will have to comply with Reserve Bank of
India regulations and will need to gauge the repayment capacity of the end-user community. VECs are often
not registered as legal entities, unlike farmer producer organizations or cooperatives. This makes lending to
VECs and the community members a challenge for financial institutions.

Creating market opportunities and linkages must be investigated once financing for PUE applications is
available. Communities should be supported in building market ecosystems that include good road networks,
transportation, storage and access to urban markets. The creation of these value chains should ensure that
maximum benefits are garnered by the community—the mini-grid’s primary beneficiary.

Entry Points for Action

Establishing community-led formal entities registered with the government can create more avenues for
financing different livelihood activities under mini-grids. The Solar Pump Irrigators’ Cooperative Enterprise
(SPICE) in Dhundi is one example of a cooperative model that has solarized its irrigation system, replacing
diesel-based pumps in the village. Their formal legal status helped finance institutions reduce the risk of
lending funds to them and allowed for transformation of the irrigation systems.

6 | WRI-INDIA.ORG
 Conference Proceedings

Integrate equity considerations into beneficiary selection and load

management when adopting PUE appliances
With greater utilization, equity considerations play a role in the selection of beneficiaries within the
threshold of a mini-grid’s capacity. Project developers must assess the village’s power dynamics with respect
to economic status, spatial spread, religion and caste, among others. There are three primary types of loads:
domestic, social and productive. Domestic and social loads (e.g., health care centres and schools) can be
managed relatively easily due to the predictability of energy demand, but more attention needs to be given
while connecting productive loads.

In most cases, project developers can leverage the presence of local grassroots organizations, development
institutions and community member groups to promote awareness, outreach and mobilization in the
community and among consumers. In the planning stages it is important to identify the ‘early adopter’
beneficiaries. The early adopters are usually those who are experienced in running similar PUE applications
on a different energy source (such as using rice hullers powered by diesel engines). These early adopters
could be more open to innovation and taking risk, as they could be more familiar with the raw materials and
business economics of running such applications. Some of these early adopter entrepreneurs can emerge as
changemakers within the village and motivate others to build microenterprises with similar interventions.
This happens primarily when entrepreneurs begin to see the positive impact of mini-grid-powered PUE
applications in terms of reduced operation costs (fuel costs), greater processing efficiency, ease of operation
and maintenance and therefore higher income generation. In addition to among ‘early adopters’, PUE
applications need to be made feasible for socially and economically weaker households in the village.

Load management, critical for any mini-grid, is the joint responsibility of the developer, mini-grid operator
and consumer. Dialogue participants shared examples of mini-grids in Jharkhand’s Simdega district, where
irrigation pumps, rice hullers and pulverizers are scheduled to operate at different hours. Experts have
noticed that PUE applications, currently being powered by diesel generators, are usually oversized—due
either to limited market options at the time of procurement or lack of awareness as to the appliance capacity.
Moreover, the seasonality of produce makes the PUE utilization intermittent—where year-round mini-grid
utilization varies. This may discourage investment, as income generation for new customers is viewed as a
seasonal activity at times. Experts highlighted that recent years have seen an uptake of ‘combo machines’
which can process multiple products, such as the rice mill with pulverizer combination machine (as shown in
Figure 2). This allows the same PUE to be used across multiple seasons for commodities grown at different
times of the year. Participants recognized, however, that standardization is currently lacking in the PUE
appliance sector.

FIGURE 2 | Individual entrepreneur-run Entry Points for Action

solar-powered rice mill with pulveriser
Projection of demand and supply, along
combo machine in Nalbari district, Assam
with capacity building and training on load
management, is important for mini-grid
operators and VECs. When accompanied by
behavioral changes and scheduling practices,
mini-grids can become more sustainable
with less chances of breakdown. Mini-grid
planners and donors need to explore expansion
of mini-grids through modular systems, once
they reach maximum utilization. Research
and development of energy-efficient and
multipurpose PUE applications should be
supported to provide greater throughput and
minimize the seasonality effect.
Source: Compiled by WRI India

The Status of Mini-grids in Rural India | 7

 Develop impact frameworks to build evidence of mini-grid
sustainability
From the perspective of simple payback periods, mini-grids do not appear to be a profitable venture.
Participants in the dialogue underscored the need to look beyond traditional payback analysis in evaluating
the viability of mini-grids and instead to ensure that the projects’ social impacts are adequately considered.
Therefore, it is important to set out the installation’s objective and incorporate monitoring and evaluation
(M&E) as an integral component, right from the design phase.

Participants agreed that mini-grid developers, the community and financial institutions all need to become
stakeholders in the M&E of these interventions. This ensures that M&E is not limited to the short
time frames that programs are designed for but becomes a mechanism that is regularly operationalized
throughout a project’s lifetime. Given the potential cross-cutting impact, the M&E plan should be designed
to have distinct key performance indicators (KPIs) for the various stakeholders—implementers, end users
(community), government and financial institutions. Currently, different mini-grid developers have different
ways of measuring and reporting their impacts on the ground. This wide variety of approaches need to be
streamlined for external audiences, such as the government or financial institutions.

Entry Points for Action

The concept of social return on investment is valuable to help quantify the social, environmental and
economic value of these projects to financial institutions. The capacity of traditional banks and financial
institutions should be built along similar lines to identify bankable projects with socioeconomic outcomes.
For this, a standardized set of KPIs needs to be finalized in advance, in consultation with various mini-
grid developers, donors and the community to regularly measure, monitor and report the economic, social,
health and climate impacts of mini-grid interventions across the country. It is also imperative to build
the capacity of communities to participate in the M&E process. Communication of the M&E findings
at regular intervals allows for analysis of changes throughout the project, which in turn, creates space for
learning, adaptation, and course correction, if needed. Figure 3 lists themes and indicative metrics that can
be measured, as suggested by the participants.

NEXT STEPS
As the insights from this dialogue reveal, while there are several opportunities for providing reliable access
to electricity in rural and remote regions through mini-grids there are several challenges in creating an
integrated approach, which means coordinating among stakeholders across government agencies, electricity
providers, mini-grid operators, communities and development organizations. Based on the feedback and
reflections from the dialogue, WRI India and TRIF will work with stakeholders across the mini-grid
ecosystem in pursuit of the following activities:

Utilize geospatial mapping tools to aggregate electricity access and development indicators across states
to prioritize regions where model villages powered by mini-grids
Amplify the need for policy support to bridge the gap between the perspectives of distribution companies
and those of the mini-grid ecosystem. Assess the need for government incentives and tariff regulation to
achieve cost-parity by studying other countries’ examples of integration with the utility grid.
Explore financing instruments and innovate business models to scale farm- and non-farm-based PUE
applications in rural India.
Support enhancement of mini-grid capacity utilization through research and development for energy-
efficient PUE applications, build community awareness regarding time-of-day usage and explore
emerging solutions such as electrification (and charging) of rural transport vehicles like electric scooters.

8 | WRI-INDIA.ORG
 Conference Proceedings

FIGURE 3 | Themes and indicators that can be measured

Greater income generation within households

Livelihoods
Improved access to external markets to sell farm and non-farm produce

Improved health service delivery

Health
Change in health-seeking behaviour (e.g., number of institutional deliveries)

Greater access to online education and smart learning

Education
Improved school infrastructure

Climate Greater long-term sustainability, thanks to mini-grids’ resilience to climate change

Resilience impacts (extreme heat, floods, lightning, thunderstorms, etc.)

GHG Greater access to online education and smart learning

Emissions Improved school infrastructure

Reduced Drudgery
Gender
Greater participation of women in mini-grid-powered livelihood activities

Quality of Improved quality of life patterns for all sections of society (safer streets, better
Life learning outcomes from enhanced study hours, entertainment, etc)

Customer Shorter resolution time for troubleshooting

Retention Customer satisfaction and perception of development post-electrification

Notes: GHG = greenhouse gas; RE = renewable energy.

Source: Compiled by WRI India

When designing mini-grids, standardize field assessment guides to map current energy needs (i.e.,
those of households, productive-uses and social loads), as well as the community’s aspirations in terms of
electric appliances and microenterprise development.
Foster dialogues among government, regulators, DISCOMs, mini-grid developers, academia and civil
society to promote the sharing of knowledge and reflections on the creation of a collaborative ecosystem
where different energy-supply options to target unserved and underserved regions can coexist.
Design measurement, monitoring and evaluation frameworks to capture the socioeconomic impacts of
mini-grid installations.

The Status of Mini-grids in Rural India | 9

 PARTICIPANTS
Abdul Khalid, Program Associate, WRI India
Ambuj Kumar, Associate Sector Lead, HCL Foundation
Anamika Dutt, Manager, WRI India
Anshuman Lath, Director, Gram Oorja Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Ashish Kumar Singh, Project Manager, Gram Oorja Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Ashok Kumar, Director, Transform Rural India Foundation
Ashwani Ashok, Program Manager, Power for All
Bharath Jairaj, Director—Energy Program, WRI India
Bishnu C. Parida, Chief Operating Officer, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS)
Debijyothi Kundu, Lead—MEL, Mlinda Charitable Trust
Debnath Bera, Director, Ranchi Partners Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
Deepak Bara, State Head—Jharkhand, SwitchON Foundation
Dheeraj Gupta, Senior Program Associate, WRI India
Gaurav Kumar Pandey, Independent
Harsh Thacker, Director—Consulting Services, Customized Energy Solutions
Harsha Meenawat, Senior Program Manager, WRI India
John P. Inchakalody, Senior Manager, ESAF Foundation
Kamal Jaiswal, Technical Support Officer—Sustainable Agriculture, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion
Society (JSLPS)
Khalid Hussain, Programme Manager, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS)
Lanvin Concessao, Senior Program Associate, WRI India
Mantok Yanlem, Program Associate, WRI India
Masfick Hazarika, Manager, WRI India
Mohammad Rustam, Manager, MIS and Documentation, Transform Rural India Foundation
Namrata Ginoya, Senior Program Manager, WRI India
Nitin Akhade, Project Lead—Rural Electrification and Livelihoods, Customized Energy Solutions
R. Darshan Kumar, Program Analyst, Transform Rural India Foundation
Rishikesh Mishra, Program Associate, WRI India
Rupa Ram, Senior Manager, Transform Rural India Foundation
Rupesh Kumar, Vertical Lead—Energy & Infrastructure, HCL Foundation
Satya Prakash Choubey, Associate Director, Smart Power India
Shelly J. Kerketta, Head of Economic Development, Mlinda Charitable Trust
Subhasis Dasgupta, General Manager, ONergy Solar (Punam Energy Pvt. Ltd.)
Subhendu Goswami, Head—Customer Acquisition & Business Development, Husk Power Systems
Sudeshna Mukherjee, Operations Director, Hamara Grid Pvt. Ltd.
Vagisha Nandan, Program Manager, Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy
Vandita Sahay, Senior Program Research Specialist, WRI India
Vijay Bhaskar, Managing Director, Hamara Grid Pvt. Ltd.
Vijay Shankar, Consultant, WRI India

10 | WRI-INDIA.ORG
 Conference Proceedings

REFERENCES
Energy Department, Government of Bihar. 2017. “Bihar Policy for Promotion of Bihar New and Renewable Energy
Sources 2017.” https://www.breda.bih.nic.in/Uploads/Policies%20_Act%20_%20Regulations/RENEWABE_ENERGY_
POLICY_2017.pdf.

Greacen, C., R. Engel, and T. Quetchenbach. 2013. “A Guidebook on Grid Interconnection and Islanded Operation of Mini-
grid Power Systems up to 200 KW.” LBNL—6224E, 1171616. doi:10.2172/1171616.

JREDA (Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency). 2022. “Jharkhand State Solar Policy 2022.” Ranchi:
Department of Energy, Jharkhand. https://jreda.com/upload_files/Jharkhand-State-Solar-Policy-2022.pdf.

JSERC (Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission). 2020. “Order on True-Up for FY 2018–19, APR for FY 2019–20
and ARR & Tariff for FY 2020–21.” Ranchi. https://jbvnl.co.in/upload/0IOKV9.jbvnl%20tariff%20order%202020-2021.pdf.

OERC (Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission). 2019. “(Mini-grid Renewable Energy Generation and Supply)
Regulations, 2019.” http://www.cbip.org/regulationsdata/Odisha/Mini_Grid_RE_November_2019/Orissa%20Mini%20
Grid%20Regulations%20Summary.pdf.

REC (Rural Electrification Corporation) Limited. 2022. “Saubhagya Dashboard.” https://saubhagya.gov.in/.

Rockefeller Foundation, Asha Impact, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, and Okapi Research and Advisory. 2017.
“Beyond Off-Grid: Integrating Mini-grids with India’s Evolving Electricity System.” https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/
report/integrating-mini-grids-indias-evolving-electricity-system/.

SPI (Smart Power India) and Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP). 2019. “Rural Electrification in India: Customer
Behaviour and Demand.” SPI. https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/report/rural-electrification-india-customer-
behaviour-demand/.

UPNEDA (Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency). 2016. “Uttar Pradesh Mini Grid Policy 2016.”
Lucknow. http://upneda.org.in/mediagallery/Mini-Grid-Policy-2016.pdf.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank all those who helped shape this proceedings document. We are especially thankful
to all the participants who gave their time and valuable inputs during the dialogue.
We are grateful to Ashok Kumar (TRIF), Harsha Meenawat, Namrata Ginoya and Nitya Kaushik (WRI India) for
their feedback on the proceedings document. Our special thanks to WRI India’s Energy Team, notably Abdul
Khalid, Mantok Yanlem, Masfick Hazarika, Rishikesh Mishra, and Vandita Sahay, who supported us with notetaking
throughout the various sessions and Sarah Hasan for proofreading. The authors appreciate the support provided
by Bharath Jairaj, Anamika Dutt, copyeditor Alex Martin, designer Garima Jain, and the production team led by
Romain Warnault.
This conference was made possible thanks to the extensive support of Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF),
in convening multiple stakeholders across the state.

| 11
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Lanvin Concessao is a Senior Program Associate for the Energy Program at WRI India. He works on Energy for
Development projects and provides guidance to development sector partners working in rural areas to plan, design,
implement and assess the impact of clean energy solutions.
Contact: [email protected]
Dheeraj Kumar Gupta is a Senior Program Associate with WRI India’s Energy Program. He leads engagement with
stakeholders in the state of Jharkhand to improve reliable, sustainable, affordable energy for all. His works involves
designing and implementing energy interventions for development.
Contact: [email protected]

ABOUT WRI INDIA

World Resources Institute India is a research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment,
economic opportunity, and human well-being.
Our challenge
Natural resources are at the foundation of economic opportunity and human well-being. But today, we are depleting
Earth’s resources at rates that are not sustainable, endangering economies and people’s lives. People depend on
clean water, fertile land, healthy forests, and a stable climate. Livable cities and clean energy are essential for a
sustainable planet. We must address these urgent, global challenges this decade.
Our vision
We envision an equitable and prosperous planet driven by the wise management of natural resources. We aspire
to create a world where the actions of government, business, and communities combine to eliminate poverty and
sustain the natural environment for all people.
Our approach
COUNT IT
We start with data. We conduct independent research and draw on the latest technology to develop new insights
and recommendations. Our rigorous analysis identifies risks, unveils opportunities, and informs smart strategies. We
focus our efforts on influential and emerging economies where the future of sustainability will be determined.
CHANGE IT
We use our research to influence government policies, business strategies, and civil society action. We test
projects with communities, companies, and government agencies to build a strong evidence base. Then, we work
with partners to deliver change on the ground that alleviates poverty and strengthens society. We hold ourselves
accountable to ensure our outcomes will be bold and enduring.
SCALE IT
We don’t think small. Once tested, we work with partners to adopt and expand our efforts regionally and globally.
We engage with decision-makers to carry out our ideas and elevate our impact. We measure success through
government and business actions that improve people’s lives and sustain a healthy environment.

Copyright 2023 World Resources Institute. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
LGF, AADI, 2 BALBIR
SAXENA MARG, HAUZ
KHAS, NEW DELHI 110016,
INDIA +91 11 40550776
WWW.WRI-INDIA.ORG