10 December 2014: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and India’s Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing an innovative techno-institutional model of implementing decentralized solar micro-grids to provide clean electricity to approximately 1,400 households in select energy-deficient villages in the Indian states of Jharkhand and Odisha.

The project, which is expected to have a positive impact on the lives of more than 7,000 people, has the objective of installing solar micro-grids for clean lighting, mobile phone chargers and small fans, with the diversified technology options to suit the needs of end users. Each micro-grid will service 20-30 households. The project will also improve livelihood opportunities by training local entrepreneurs to operate and manage the micro-grids through a ‘fee for service model’ of solar lighting devices.

REC’s Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Sharma said that not only would lighting be provided to the village community but youth and women would also be empowered to run the systems.

TERI will ensure the sustainability of the systems by actively engaging communities, developing capacity and linking micro-grids with local level energy enterprises, set up and trained through its Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) initiative. TERI began the LaBL in 2008 to provide clean lighting solutions to energy impoverished populations. Since its launch, LaBL has reached over 2.5 million people across 2,596 villages in 22 states in India.

REC and TERI have been partnering since 2011 on a range of clean energy access projects, with REC supporting the implementation of 126 solar charging stations and five solar micro-grids across numerous villages reaching more than 32,000 people. [TERI Press Release] [LaBL Website]