Background

The biofuels based village electrification power plant at Ranidehra was set up in April 2007 and has been running successfully since then with zero down time along with 100% payment recovery of the electricity charges from the beneficiaries. The fact that the present project is running since April 2007 with zero downtime is indicative of the technical viability of the project design. Systematic collection of service charges from the beneficiaries of this remote tribal village underlines the poor people’s need for electricity and also their willingness to pay for quality energy services. This is a unique, one-of-its-kind initiative that has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of electrifying a village using 100% straight vegetable oil, obtained from crushing Jatropha curcas oilseeds. Transferring technological innovation to a village community and to ensure proper operation and maintenance of the same requires time and sustained support from the implementing agency. Support from Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) has allowed the space to facilitate the techno-social integration. The support from SDC has facilitated in fine tuning of the performance monitoring indicators, undertake necessary periodic maintenance of the engines, strengthening the capacity of the local village level operators, strengthening and increasing the involvement of village energy committee and in establishing supplementary income generation activities for the village energy committee (VEC).

Objective

The objectives of the proposed project were to prepare the VEC for the maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure in view of the technical backstopping being withdrawn, handing over management issues to VEC to ensure smooth operation of the power plant and transforming the administrative formalities to VEC. And, to attain the objectives, the major activities undertaken through the project included capacity building of the VEC, handing over of the management issues to the VEC, documentation of community engagement necessary for DDG projects, organizing knowledge sharing workshop with multistakeholders and a benefit mapping study for the project.

The project has aptly demonstrated that access to energy can be a suitable entry point and can trigger multiple development benefits for the local people. Feasibility of the technology for running on straight vegetable oil has also been established through the performance of the engine. The project has also demonstrated that local villagers, if properly trained, can handle and operate a decentralized power plant in a remote village.

Practice - Policy Connect: Access to Rural Electricity Services : Workshop Proceedings