Rural Electrification In India Research Articles

Optimal sizing and economic assessment of grid connected active distribution network for reliable rural electrification in India

Majority of rural areas in India have already been electrified, yet the disparity between demand and supply is considerably higher and broadened due to which nation’s rapid financial growth as well as rising standards of living in both the urban as well as rural areas. Hence, the utilisation of renewable resources is rising steadily for the mitigation of such energy crisis. It has become necessity to use a hybrid sustainable energy system by exploiting the strengths of each source in combination with one another to minimise the dependence on the congested power grid. For the efficient use of readily available renewable energy and sustainable rural electrification, this study proposes an effective Active Distribution Network (ADN). A comprehensive techno-economic analysis has been performed on the design of an ADN system that includes the exploitation of solar and biomass energy as sources of power for sustainable rural electrification. In the proposed work, performance assessment elements such as output responses, component costs, feasibility and sensitivity of the project, emissions, inflation rate, and changing the pricing of integrant have been taken into consideration and analysed. Results shows the improvement in rural electrical system while lowering system energy costs along with consideration of environmental impact.

Fracking, farmers, and rural electrification in India

The shale gas revolution in the United States induced an unprecedented commodity boom across northwestern India. Leveraging population-based discontinuities in the contemporaneous roll-out of India’s national rural electrification scheme, we show that access to electricity increased total employment and non-agricultural employment in villages affected by this exogenous economic shock, but had no impact on labor markets elsewhere. This combination of two natural experiments highlights how complementary economic conditions drive heterogeneity in the labor-market impacts of rural electrification. It also helps explain the large variation in the reported impacts of such resource-intensive infrastructure investments globally.

Rural electrification in India: A wicked problem

AbstractDespite concerted efforts, several plans and policies of the government addressing rural electrification remained unrealized since India's independence. Although India attained near‐complete grid connectivity in 2018, the problem of inconsistent, unreliable and unaffordable electricity persists, expressly in remote and rural areas. This paper conceptualizes issues of rural electrification in India as a ‘Wicked Problem’ – a systems thinking approach used vastly for understanding complex and multidimensional aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The problem is characterized as a sub‐target of SDG 7 i.e. universal energy access. The stakeholders of rural electrification in India were approached ‐ their feedback was mapped in the power‐interest matrix. A causal loop diagram was prepared that helped in the identification of various themes through balancing and reinforcing loops. This study makes a methodological contribution to conceptual analysis prompting decision‐making through mental models over existing frameworks used for addressing rural electrification in India.

Design and optimization of an off-grid integrated renewable energy system for remote rural electrification in India

Design and optimization of an off-grid integrated renewable energy system for remote rural electrification in India

Optimal Design of PV/WT/Battery Based Microgrid for Rural Areas in Leh Using Dragonfly Algorithm

This study proposes an optimal microgrid design for rural electrification in India’s Leh and Ladakh regions, using wind energy, solar, energy, and battery energy storage system. The Dragonfly Algorithm (DA) is used to calculate the optimal number of microgrid units, and results are compared with popular optimization algorithms such as Grey Wolf optimization (GWO), Differential Evolution (DE), and Discrete Harmony Search (DHS). The optimal design is based on an objective function to minimize the Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) while keeping the loss of power supply probability (LOPSP) as a reliability constraint. Three configuration studies are carried out, with three cases, each with a different maximum permissible LOPSP (LOPSPmax) value. The results show that optimal design and efficient energy management reliably meet the load demand. The energy generated from the proposed microgrid is clean compared to the grid supply, and the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is reduced by 91.2% from Configuration-I, Case-I, which is the most economical configuration. The LCOE obtained from Configuration-I, Case-I is 0.129 $/kWh, the lowest among similar systems available in the literature. To determine the parameter cost with supply, the LCOE and Total life cycle cost (TLCC) sensitivity to LOPSPmax are considered. Furthermore, statistical analysis shows that DA outperforms GWO, DE, and DHS in terms of accuracy and convergence rate.

Techno-economic Feasibility Analysis of Optimized Stand-alone PV and Hybrid Energy Systems for Rural Electrification in INDIA

Techno-economic Feasibility Analysis of Optimized Stand-alone PV and Hybrid Energy Systems for Rural Electrification in INDIA

Replacement of LVDS to HVDS for Reduction in Distribution Losses, Improvement in Voltage Profiles and Economic Analysis for National Saving

Introduction: Rural electrification in India is planned with high-capacity distribution transformers which supply the isolated location loads of various categories like agricultural, household, small business, etc. This distribution system planning with non-optimal distribution transformers leads to poor voltage profiles and high power losses in the distribution network. This paper presents that a High-Voltage Distribution System (HVDS) is more suitable than a Low- Voltage Distribution System (LVDS). Methods: A model is developed to evaluate the technical losses, voltage profiles, and optimal payback period of the investments for the planned HVDS network. The replacement of LVDS with HVDS is achieved by replacing high-capacity distribution transformers with small-capacity at optimal locations. Results: The results of this study are validated on the real 11kV agricultural feeder of the Narshinghpur District of Madhya Pradesh, India. Conclusion: The results demonstrate improvement in voltage profiles, low power losses, and optimal payback period for the proposed problem. The obtained results proved that the replacement of LVDS with HVDS would be more beneficial for rural electric power distribution system planning.

Towards convergence of central grid and decentralised electricity solutions – Assessment of Indian rural electrification cases using a socio-technical framework

The paper examines the dynamics of rural electrification in India and explores the transition to a complementary convergence of decentralised and centralised electricity systems for sustainable rural electricity services. A novel socio-technical framework of analysis for assessment of cases of rural electricity systems is developed and applied in Indian villages to explore the interplays of different elements of rural electricity systems, enabling and hindering factors, and actors and institutions that affect the governance and sustenance of rural electrification. A mixed research method, along with document analysis, was applied to study the socio-technical perspectives, using 21 indicators representing nine different interplays of elements of rural electricity systems. The analysis reveals there is a significant effect of governance on technology performance, which in turn affects customer practices. There is also a significant correlation between customer practices and governance. Policy enablers along with strong institutions and actors - both at the subnational and local level - are key drivers to effective governance. Furthermore, irrespective of centralised or decentralised technology, adequacy and reliability of electricity supply and effective customer service delivery at the local level are important i.e., both supply reliability and quality, and customer service quality are equally important. The findings have clear policy implications for the governance of the electricity sector in India.

Drivers and barriers to rural electrification in India – A multi‐stakeholder analysis

Roughly 400 million people in India had no access to electricity in 2011. With concerted efforts by the government, the electrification progressed fast to achieve near universal electrification in 2019. Despite the commendable progress, multiple challenges continue to afflict the sector. If policies and actions to sustain electrification and encourage development are to be successful, understanding the nature of drivers and barriers is essential. However, there has not been any systematic attempt to comprehensively identify and analyze the drivers and barriers to rural electrification. This study tried to identify and systematically prioritize the drivers and barriers, based on their strengths, for centralized grid and renewable energy (RE)-based mini-grids using a common analytical framework. The drivers and barriers were first identified through an exhaustive study of literature and consultations with electricity sector experts. Thereafter, their strengths were analyzed based on a perception survey with sector actors. The research provides lessons that despite achieving near-universal electrification, there are barriers to the advancement and sustenance of central grid and mini-grids. The results specify that driver and barrier elements with higher scores are across the political, economic, and financial categories. In contrast, institutional and social categories are ranked lower. The overall ranking indicates that enabling policies and government support to be the most significant driver for grid expansion. For RE-based mini-grids, convergence with livelihood programs and electricity for irrigation are perceived as strong drivers. The high cost of electricity and customers’ inability to pay are perceived as barriers for both central grid and mini-grids.

Applications, planning and socio-techno-economic analysis of distributed energy systems for rural electrification in India and other countries: A review

Electricity is significant for acceleration of economic growth, employment generation, poverty alleviation and human development especially in rural areas. With advent of mobile phones and computer systems, electricity has become human’s basic necessity. Renewable energy sources driven decentralized energy systems have gained attention to satisfy the electric needs of rural communities. This paper attempts to present an exclusive literature review for application of decentralized energy system for development of rural microgids. Comparative analysis in terms of governing principle, installed capacity, performance parameters, operating efficiency, and GHG emissions for both renewable and non-renewable energy Distributed Energy Systems (DES) technologies has been presented. Optimization algorithms developed for optimal planning, sizing and citing of DESs and storage has been studied. Socio-techno-economic studies for assessing the feasibility of developed rural microgrids has been presented. Inferences based on the literature study to attract significant attention of microgrid developers and operators has been notified.

Off-Grid Rural Electrification in India Using Renewable Energy Resources and Different Battery Technologies with a Dynamic Differential Annealed Optimization

Several families in India live in remote places with no access to grid-connected power supply due to their remoteness. The study area chosen from the Indian state of Odisha does not have an electrical power supply due to its distant location. As a result, this study analyzed the electrification process using Renewable Energy (RE) resources available in the locality. However, these RE resources are limited by their dependency on weather conditions and time. So, a robust battery storage system is needed for a continuous power supply. Hence, the Nickel Iron (Ni-Fe), Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) and Lead Acid (LA) battery technologies have been analyzed to identify a battery technology that is both technologically and economically viable. Using the available RE resources in the study area, such as photovoltaic and biomass energy resources, as well as the various battery technologies, three configurations have been modelled, such as Photovoltaic Panels (PVP)/Biomass Generator(BIOMG)/BATTERY(Ni-Fe), PV/BIOMG/BATTERY(Li-Ion) and PVP/BMG/BATTERY(LA). These three configurations have been examined using nine prominent metaheuristic algorithms, in which the PVP/BIOMG/BATTERY(Ni-Fe) configuration provided the optimal Life Cycle Cost value of 367,586 USD. Among the all metaheuristic algorithms, the dynamic differential annealed optimization algorithm was given the best Life Cycle Cost values for all of the three configurations.

Decision making approach for assessing the suitable hybrid renewable energy based microgrid system for rural electrification in India

In the present work, a decision-making framework in the form of TOmada de Decisao Interativa Multicriterio (TODIM) has been employed to identify the best microgrid scenario for a given location. The study has considered a total of eight microgrid scenarios that have been appraised with due consideration to economic and environmental metrics. Net project cost and cost of energy have been considered as the economic metrics while renewable energy fraction and greenhouse gas emissions as environmental metrics. HOMER has been used to carry out the optimization analysis and hence the aforementioned metrics. TODIM methodology is then applied to rank the considered microgrid scenarios. An inclusive evaluation shows that the hybrid renewable energy based microgrid system encompassing photovoltaic (PV), diesel generator (DiG), battery (BAT), fuel cell (FC), wind turbine (WT) and convertor (CONV) turns out to be the best scenario for the considered area.

Affordable Power for Rural Electrification in India

Affordable Power for Rural Electrification in India

Developing a Framework for Rural Electrification in India- Analysis of the Prospects of Micro-grid Solutions

The present research examines the perceptions of rural consumers towards the microgrid and rural electrification (RE) based solutions and develops a framework for improving the establishment of rural RE based microgrid solution captured from a case study in the Kalimpong district of North Bengal. The study adopted a mixed methodology study design includes the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the study through stakeholder interviews and questionnaire-based primary survey of the sample households. The perceptions received from sample households were validated with the response from other stakeholders, including academicians, researchers and sectoral experts. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings of the present research indicate that to accelerate the socio-economic development of the hilly terrains of North Bengal region, multi-provider licensed based microgrid preferably with renewable-based is a preferred mode which ensures reliable and affordable access of electricity.

Optimization of an off-grid integrated hybrid renewable energy system with different battery technologies for rural electrification in India

ABSTRACT A large population of India is living in villages, some of them are living in remote areas isolated from the grid. It is not feasible or economical to extend the grid connection to provide electricity for those villages, but an autonomous integrated hybrid renewable energy system can be a viable option. This study focused on emerging a grid-independent integrated hybrid renewable energy system (IHRES) to provide electricity and freshwater availability for a cluster of un-electrified villages located at Odisha state in India. In order to provide a continuous power supply, the study focused on three different types of battery technologies, such as Lead-Acid (LA), Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) and Nickel-Iron (Ni-Fe). To obtain an optimal IHRES configuration, twelve different IHRES configurations are modelled using nine metaheuristic algorithms in the MATLAB© environment. From the results, it is found that the Ni-Fe battery-based IHRES results in a minimum Annual Levelized Cost (ALC) as $66,650 and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) as 0.21779 $/kWh when compared to other battery-based IHRESs. The proposed Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA) has proven its robustness and convergence efficiency by providing the optimal ALC and LCOEs with fast convergence to the global best optimal solutions. Further, the proposed system has been examined at a different maximum allowable loss of power supply probability (LPSP*) values. Finally, the sensitivity analysis has been conducted with the variable input parameters, such as interest rate, biomass collection rate and cost of biomass. It is found that the variation in interest rate affects the system performance significantly.

Reclaiming Spaces of Energy Consumption through Rethinking Approaches to Rural Electrification in India

The perception engages with the central theme of triggering an energy system change for providing energy access at the last mile. An energy system change is about managing a transition in terms of production of energy and its consumption. In order to do that, there is an imperative to conceptualize electricity provisioning and the associated politics in the field of socio-technical and sustainable transitions. The policy process needs to understand that rural energy ecosystems are plural and heterogeneous, based on specific renewable energy resource endowment, local resource base, as well as consumption patterns. As regards approaches to address needs for power for all in terms of energy access, a lot remains to be done beginning from assessment of local resource potential for localized, embedded, on-site generation of electricity. This calls for an ideological transformation to creation of a league of prosumers (producers who are consumers as well).

Smart Solar Grid integrated PV System with Faulty Permanence Enhancement: For Better Rural Electrification in India

Smart Solar Grid integrated PV System with Faulty Permanence Enhancement: For Better Rural Electrification in India

The effects of rural electrification in India: An instrumental variable approach at the household level

Governments in developing countries are investing billions of dollars to increase electricity access in rural areas, but the literature on the impact of these investments has produced mixed results. We leverage a unique characteristic of household electrification policy in Uttar Pradesh, India, whereby only households within 40 m of an electricity pole are eligible for a legal electrical connection, to estimate the causal impact of electrification using a pre-registered instrumental variable design. With an original survey of 686 households across 120 habitations in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, we find that legal electrification has a positive impact on household expenditures, adult household activities, and ownership and usage of appliances. The results suggest a more optimistic picture about the impact of rural electrification than some previous studies.

Design and Implementation of Rural Electrification Framework using Photovoltaic

The need to electrify all rural areas in India is quite compelling. However, the focus has now shifted from traditional fuel-based systems to generate electricity to renewable sources for energy generation. Though there are subsidies and policies that encourage the use of solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems, there is a need for an appropriate framework. This framework could not only offer substantial directions but it would also act as grounds to enhance rural electrification in India using solar PVs. From this perspective, the current research attempts to structure an innovative framework for solar PV system that could facilitate rural electrification in India. In particular, the district of Damoh in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as there are many villages without electricity in this district. PVsyst software was utilized to simulate the outcomes that included mathematical models and diverse components based on PV, for simulation. Three designs were developed to facilitate the simulation. These included; PVs linked with microgrid devoid of battery, individual PV systems without microgrid link and solar PVs linked to microgrid with battey. The framework for rural electrification using solar PVs will offer policy makers with insights with regards to implementing PV systems. It will also offer inputs as to the feasibility of implementing a specific system on several parameters. These would comprise of; number of households within a village, detached households etc. Nonetheless, research in future is also warranted to explore the scope for other sources of renewable energy

The Effects of Rural Electrification in India: An Instrumental Variable Approach at the Household Level

Governments in developing countries are investing billions of dollars to increase electricity access in rural areas, but the literature on the impact of these investments has produced mixed results. We leverage a unique characteristic of household electrification policy in Uttar Pradesh, India, whereby only households within 40 meters of an electricity pole are eligible for a legal electrical connection, to estimate the causal impact of electrification using a pre-registered instrumental variable design. With an original survey of 686 households across 120 habitations in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, we find that legal electrification has a positive impact on household expenditures, adult household activities, and ownership and usage of appliances. The results suggest a more optimistic picture about the impact of rural electrification than some previous studies.