Background
This project supported by the BHC aims to promote bio-fuels for improving access to clean and affordable energy to the rural population in India. Security and availability of electricity supply in India leaves much to be desired. The initiative assumes great significance against a background of addressing energy security, poverty reduction, environmental concerns, livelihood issues and the overall quality of life.

Objective
The project aims to build upon an existing initiative of Winrock International India (WII)/ Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in one of the lesser-developed states in India by designing and implementing a replicable model of remote village electrification through the biofuel route. WII initially prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a Pilot Project to electrify remote villages in the state of Chhattisgarh using non-edible oil derived from tree borne oil seeds.

Activities
Several activities are being undertaken under the project by using a bottom-up participatory approach with a strong emphasis on ownership of the initiative. Various stakeholders are being engaged for designing intervention, which would ensure ownership of the initiative by the local community and ensure sustenance of efforts beyond the period of project intervention. A DPR has been formulated taking into account all the logistics, which would ensure that the project being set-up is viable. Community mobilization is a very crucial aspect especially for the region selected, for management of facilities, including the tariff setting, bill collection etc.

One prime responsibility of WII was to design and set up the plant along with associated facilities. Benefits of the intervention were quantified in terms of indicators on energy security, livelihood opportunities, environmental benefits, and other social evolution. Success stories have been documented and the results of the pilot program were widely disseminated through various mediums. An important aspect was to advocate the same to policy makers that has helped in replicating the demonstrated model through sustained capacity building workshops and organizing policy discussion forums for the Ministry/State Nodal Agencies.

The project envisages delivering very concrete outputs in terms of operationalizing a remote village electrification project based on biofuel in India for the first time. This would act as a model for the MNRE to follow and adopt in setting up similar plants towards meeting their mandate of electrifying more than 25000 remote villages through renewable energy. Other indirect outputs would be empowering the local communities and their development through improved livelihood options (and quality of life) by addressing the issue of energy security/access.

Achievements
WII has established linkages with MNRE, Government of India, the Chhattisgarh State Government, Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA), Chhattisgarh State Planning Commission, local Government departments - forestry, land and water resources. There has been tremendous support from the village community towards this project as they would be the sole beneficiaries.

Apart from these agencies, WII has taken services of Field Marshall, Gujarat, for engine testing to see technical viability of running engines on straight vegetable oils. Castrol India is also a very important stakeholder which is providing the necessary lubricants for the engines. All these stakeholders have contributed to their capacities to support WII’s initiative for remote village electrification.

WII has conducted mass awareness campaigns and regular visits to the site and has established a good rapport with the village community. With support from WII, the villagers planted Jatropha Curcas saplings on the periphery of their agricultural lands in July 2005. WII has an agreement to utilize the seed obtained from these tree-borne oil plants for electrification of village.

A DPR has been prepared after detailed household surveys were conducted. The DPR has helped identify the system sizing and the distribution system based on the requirement of electricity requested by the village community. Ample provision has been kept to step-up capacity keeping in mind future demand and any commercial application that may come up as a result of this initiative.
A diesel engine manufacturer was identified and field trials were conducted (for over a year) on them to check technical compatibility of running them on straight-run vegetable oils. Research is also being conducted on the feasibility for using the press cake (residue left after crushing jatropha curcas seeds) as fuel for domestic consumption and also for any commercial applications such as brick kilns etc. Support is also coming from various stakeholders including a lube oil manufacturer for use in the engines.

A power plant has been constructed.  Distribution lines to feed power to all households and house wiring work have been completed.  Field trials on the engines with Jatropha oil started in early April.  Since then, the engines are running every evening and electricity is provided to all households.  The villages have been paying for the electricity voluntarily every month making the project financially viable.  A Village Energy Committee has been set up in the village which oversees the operation and management of the power plant.

Simultaneously, WII undertook a study to assess the water resources in the area, based on which a water management plan has been developed to meet competing water resource needs in the future, while supporting economic development and contributing to environmental improvement in the villages as a next step, efforts are underway to link these two sets of interventions, so as to meet he irrigation needs of the farmers through locally available resources.

FLYER