hyderabad | sep-16 | gram oorja : energy access in rural india : enabling agriculture
TRANSCRIPT
Energy access in rural India Enabling Agriculture
Hyderabad September 23, 2016
Business Overview : Gram Oorja
• Gram Oorja fulfils the electricity, cooking fuel and water needs of tribal communities in the remote, off-grid regions of India using PV micro-grids, biogas based cooking grids and solar pumps
• Ensures operational and financial stability of projects through an effective metering and tariff mechanism and organising appropriate finance
• Currently working in tribal villages of Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan and North Karnataka.
• Plans to expand into the tribal belts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh as well as the North-East.
• Clients include some of India’s largest foundations like the Tata Trusts and ICICI Bank Limited and policy and research institutions worldwide
• Founded by entrepreneurs from premier institutions like the IITs and IIMs and with experience in social, financial and energy sectors
Products
Solar micro-grids ranging from 5-20 kWp Biogas grids ranging from 50-200 cubic meter size for cooking
Solar water pumps (AC & DC)
Electrification of education and health institutions
Funders
Funders
Community Partners/ customers Beneficiaries
A
C
• Bosch Solar
• Sir Dorab Tata Trust
• ICICI Bank
• Rotary
• Grundfos Foundation
• Tribal communitiesFunds
Project
Proposal
Orders
Implement
Business Model
• Gram Oorja works to integrate the various aspects to ensure delivery of sustainable projects
Surveys to
identify needs
Long Term Handholding
Our Activities
Target Markets
• 69 districts with more than 25% tribal population
• Gram Oorja plans to expand into the tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan
• Deep relationships with social service organisations who work intensively with communities
• Ability to understand needs and aspirations and design appropriate systems
• Ability to source appropriate finance ensuring sustainability of projects
• Ability to work in geographically and politically difficult markets nationwide
• Has been able to provide a good base for testing various products anywhere in India
• Strong survey reach and skills
Gram Oorja – Unique Value Proposition
Solar water pumping - Agriculture
Dongripada
Village – Dongripada Taluka – JawharDistrict – Palghar
Pump size – 3 HPPV size – 3 KWpTotal head – 55 mPump capacity – 28,000 lits/dayIrrigated land – 5 acresType of irrigation – DripCrops – Vegetables & flowers
Jhumkapatia
Village – JhumkapatiaTaluka – RasolDistrict – Dhenkanal
Pump size – 7.5 HPPV size – 7.8 KWpTotal head – 35 mPump capacity – 1.25 lakh lits/dayIrrigated land – 9 acresType of irrigation – DripCrops – Vegetables & fruits
Survani
Village – SurvaniTaluka – DhadgaonDistrict – Nandurbar
Pump size – 7.5 HPPV size – 7.5 KWpTotal head – 25 mPump capacity – 2.5 lakh lits/dayIrrigated land – 17 acresType of irrigation – FloodCrops – Vegetables
Survani
Pump size – 7.5 HPPV size – 7.5 KWpTotal head – 25 mPump capacity – 2.5 lakh lits/day
Cost comparison with diesel engine:
Diesel engine required to achieve equivalent output of water – 10 HP
Its diesel consumption – 2 lit/hr
Operational time – 5 hrs
Diesel rate – 55 Rs/lit
Expenditure on diesel per day – Rs. 550/-
Life of the solar pumping unit – 25 years
Solar Micro-grid – Commercial load
Bhamane
Village – BhamaneTaluka – JoidaDistrict – Uttar Kannad
Number of houses – 32 Population – 160Project – Hybrid micro-gridTechnologies used – Solar PV& micro hydro
Bhamane
Total generation – 8 KWPV size – 3 KWpTurbine – 5 KW
Rice huller – 3 HPFlour mill – 3 HP
1. Setting the stage
• The first stage is Deep interaction with the community
• Assess the needs and willingness of the TG
• Inherent leadership in the community, if any, comes to the forefront
• Get the women on-board
• Building trust and goodwill is essential
This stage could be the most significant cost apart from hardware
2. Designing to meet future aspirations
Once on-demand power is provided, people discover and add new uses for electricity:• Utilization of the system steadily increases• Lifestyle changes and livelihood opportunities warrant high
loads that must be planned for– In Darewadi, a flour mill, two computers and a water pump account for
~16-18 units per day– Water pumps have transformed the lives of women by eliminating 4-5
hours of work during dry months– Water pumps will enable some farmers to graduate from an annual crop
to two crops per year
Sample Load Profiles
3. Devising a sustainable tariff
Metered consumption based charging is essential for– accountability – discipline – load management
Creating a corpus with billing collections is essential for– battery replacement– day-to-day O&M
Example of monthly paper bill (in Darewadi)Battery bank
4. Minimizing battery backup
• Minimizing battery storage has several advantages– Reduced upfront investment– Reduced battery replacement costs– Minimizing environmental impact
• Manual optimization through separate feeder lines for household, commercial and street-lighting loads– Enables better management during periods of low generation
Feeder line circuits
Darewadi during monsoons
5. Meeting safety & quality standards
• The installations should meet safety standards as per utility specifications• Higher upfront investment but longer term
sustainability• Possibility of interconnection with
the grid, depending on future policy• Ensures safety of people and cattle• Helps meet the psychological need
of being connected to the world
6. Closing the loop: Transfer of ownership
• Entrepreneurs cannot stay engaged indefinitely for day-to-day management, resolving disputes, etc
• A representative trust or village council plays a critical role in the success of the project
• People more likely to maintain if they feel like owners• Anecdotal evidence from
Darewadi
Biogas based Cooking Grid
Biogas based Cooking Grid
Rationale
• Cleaner, healthier and less cumbersome cooking systems with Biogas.
• Less burden on women to collect firewood.
• Reduction in smoke-related health problems due to burning of wood.
• Saves time, energy and money spent in getting firewood/kerosene/LPG.
• Increases time for family and for productive cottage industries.
• Reduced burden on forests due to less dependency on firewood.
• Nominal harmful greenhouse gas emissions due to the use of clean energy.
Biogas cooking grids at Kolvan
Individual Consumer
School i.e . Commercial Consumer
Scrubber and Boosting System Gas Line
Flame @ SiteFlame @ End User
Flame @ Commercial User
Biogas Plant
Consumer
Roof Top installations for SchoolsGram Oorja has installed small PV systems for running electrical load in schools & organizations including few lights, fans & computers:
• Pragati Pratishthan School
• Sadhana Village
• Ghatandevi Shikshak Prasarak Mandal
• Shree Gadage Maharaj Secondary
Ashram School & Junior college
• Mahajan Guruji Secondary and Higher
Secondary Ashram School
• Kranti Jyoti Savitribai Phule Primary,
Secondary & Junior College
• Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram
Roof Top installations for Primary Health Centers
Gram Oorja has installed PV systems for running electrical load in 11 Primary Health Centers in Nandurbar District to ensure 24x7 electricity for operating lights, fans, medical equipment and refrigeratiors for vaccine storage.
The system configurations were:
Solar Photovoltaic capacity: 3 kWp Solar Photovoltaic capacity: 6 kWp
Biogas cooking grids
Acceptance