Equity Considerations to Incorporate Productive-Use Applications in Mini Grids

As of 2019, there were more than 14,000 mini grid projects implemented in India, by various organizations impacting numerous rural and remote communities that were devoid of access to electricity. These implementations have seen varying levels of success. However, there is a lack of evidence on equitable access to opportunities from the mini grids being implemented. To enhance mini-grids utilization, community engagement processes are essential to incorporate income generating opportunities especially to priority groups i.e., low-income and women community members. Such an engagement requires a tailored approach, based on the socio-economic and existing practices of the community, to create awareness on the application of productive uses. This presentation will highlight the engagement framework across multiple mini grids on formation of village level committees, sensitization, selection and implementation of appropriate productive-use appliances and recommendations for scaling utilisation of mini grids in other regions for equitable development.