Electrifying Rural India with Husk Power

In remote villages without electricity, a silent revolution is literally electrifying lives. Hundreds of thousands of villagers currently residing in the rice belt of India are the proud beneficiaries of husk power system, a financially sustainable and environment-friendly village generator.

Note: For a full copy of the case study on “Electrifying Rural India with Husk Power,” please refer to Case Study #4, pages 20-23, of the attached compendium.

Solar-Based Village Electrification: A Pilot Public–Private–People Partnership Project

Access to energy is critical to the development of India’s rural economy, where rural electrification remains a challenge. The attractiveness of solar power as a renewable energy source is demonstrated in this case study. The importance of forming new partnerships to attract more private investments to the renewable energy sector is also highlighted.

Note: For a full copy of the case study on “Solar-Based Village Electrification: A Pilot Public–Private–People Partnership Project,” please refer to Case Study #25, pages 113-116, of the attached compendium.

Video - Affordable Pay-As-You-Go Solar Power for India's Energy-Poor Homes (Part 2)

Access to energy can contribute significantly to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s overarching goal of reducing poverty. In 2008, the Energy for All initiative was created with the aim of adding value to ADB’s energy access projects by assisting project developers and the Bank’s operations staff conduct pre-investment activities.

Video - Affordable Pay-As-You-Go Solar Power for India's Energy-Poor Homes (Part 1)

Energy access remains one of the most fundamental challenges in India. The Asian Development Bank’s $2 million equity investment in Simpa Networks’ pay-as-you-go solar energy offering creates affordability for rural consumers in India, while the prepaid nature of the scheme makes the business model attractive for private sector investments.

Video - Thorough Planning of Solar Park Mitigates Risk for Investors, Locals

This video explains why the Charanka Solar Power Park in India’s Gujarat State is one of the successful public-private partnership models that has helped bridge grid parity. It also highlights how the project not only addressed the country’s energy security situation, but also connected poverty-stricken and energy poor local communities.

Bangladesh–India Electrical Grid Interconnection Project: South Asia’s First Interconnection of Two National Grids

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is grappling with energy deficiencies in the face of rapidly increasing demand for energy. To help bridge the energy gap in the country, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted Bangladesh in securing energy supply from India through a cross-border grid interconnection project.

Read about ADB's other energy projects in Knowledge and Power: Lessons from ADB Energy Projects.

The Pay-as-You-Go Off-Grid Project in India: Addressing Energy Poverty One House at a Time

Many rural villages in India are energy poor, with 289 million people lacking access to electricity while 80 million remain underserved. To quickly fill the access gap, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) initiated an equity investment that allowed customers to buy energy credits in “small packages”.

Read about ADB’s other energy projects in Knowledge and Power: Lessons from ADB Energy Projects.

Rajasthan Concentrating Solar Power: A Multi-stakeholder Partnership That Maximizes Solar Power to Fuel India’s Economy

A multi-stakeholder partnership among the Government of India, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and private companies helped secured the country’s energy supply while reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.

Read about ADB’s other energy projects in Knowledge and Power: Lessons from ADB Energy Projects.

Restoring Pedestrian Accessibility in Indian Cities

Traffic fatalities in India have considerably increased from 15,000 in 1971 to 93,000 in 2004. Unless changes in transport policies and practices change, the country may face even more increasing road accidents in the coming years.

At present, India’s transport policy is focused on building more roads. This exacerbates transport issues since more roads encourage more vehicles, and less pedestrian-friendly spaces. It also negatively affects the environment since more vehicles mean more emissions and energy consumption.