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Smart Village was one of thirteen major projects aiming to make our homes smarter and more energy efficient. The
projects received 3.8 million in funding from theTechnology Strategy Board and the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills (BIS).
The combined goal of the thirteen projects was to show how smart meters could be integrated with communications
technology to make homes more energy-efficient, and consumers more energy-aware.
The objective of our Smart Village project was to compare Smart metering and Home Systems in Urban Areas with
those in Rural Areas. We looked at the effectiveness of various levels of system, from an energy saving point of view
and in terms of assistive technology opportunities to improve peoples wellbeing at home.
Shares10
Yashraj Khaitan was 20 when he began his campaign for good. In 2009, this student of
electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley,
travelled to several remote villages in Rajasthan and Bihar as part of a university project.
I was a member of this group named Engineers without Borders, which basically identifies
ways to use technology to solve global issues. On my trip to these villages, I saw how so
many of them did not have power and basic amenities, that we tend to take for granted, he
says.
Thats when Gram Power happened. Khaitan founded the company with his batchmate to
provide remote areas with on-demand, reliable electricity, with an affordable prepaid
purchase model.
Despite the infrastructural problems in these villages, I discovered one thing almost
everyone has access to cellphones. There were local charging centres within villages where
people could charge their phones, he says.
Taking advantage of the revolutions in cellphone technology, Khaitan came up with a
similar plan for electricity. Gram Power identified remote villages that were off the grid or
ones that received less than six hours of power a day. A microgrid, powered by solar panels,
was set up in a small Rajasthani hamlet, to eventually provide power for lights, fans and
televisions. However, there was one key innovation about the microgrid system that set it
apart there were smart prepaid meters for each house with a pay-per-use arrangement.
These meters would draw energy from the central grid and also help villagers keep track of
how much prepaid energy was remaining.
This meant that villagers could purchase power at their doorstep on a daily basis, just like
they would get a cellphone recharge plan. Rs10 a day provides enough power to operate
fans, lights, cellphones and televisions, says Khaitan. The meter system also made
villagers more conscious about how much power they use a screen on the meter displays
the balance in terms of how many hours of power they can still use.
The smart meter system also eliminated the issue of power theft as the smart meters were
monitored with the Internet. If anyone tries to tamper with the smart meters, we instantly
get to know and can shut their power supply. After the success of this model, several
people from nearby villages approached Khaitan to install a similar model in their villages.
Gram Power is steadily expanding the facility to places outside Rajasthan and has installed
a grid in a village in Uttar Pradesh. Khaitan is humbled by the results of the initiative and
the reception it has received. I realised that the rural consumers really value a high utility
service. With the right business model, one can really help make their lives better, he says.
His only message to people embarking on similar missions is to be very perseverant.
Youre dealing with people who havent even experienced a lot of the things that youre
used to, so the perspective has to very different.
Sewage Power
Our new microbial fuel cell utilizes energy from bacterial growth in wastewater to generate
electricity while simultaneously bringing about purification of the wastewater. We plan to bundle
the fuel cell with an ongoing project to decontaminate wastewater using bacterial viruses. The
decontamination project is being developed by Embracing the World researchers at Amrita
Universitys School of Biotechnology and funded by the Gates Foundation. Coupled together, these
projects hold the potential to make positive inroads in sustainability in both wastewater treatment
and energy.
T he N ep al Wi r el es s Ne tw o r k i ng P r o j ec t
In 2007, Mahabir Pun received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his
community leadership and innovative application of wireless computer
technology in Nepal, bringing progress to remote mountain areas by
connecting his village to the global village. The award has been called
the Nobel prize of Asia.
Photo credit: Y. Kawasumi
Mahabir Pun was born in what is now the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. After finishing his studies at a universit
1992, he returned home with a dream: to provide opportunities for the people in his native village of Nangi, amid the we
in the district of Myagdi. He joined with local residents to upgrade the village school to become the Himanchal Higher Se
become not only a source of education, but also the hub of community development. Its effectiveness in this role is grea
innovation promoted by Mr Pun: connecting the school to the Internet in a network that now covers thousands of people
Two computers were donated to the school in 1997, but, with no mobile phone coverage or fixedline telephones a
gaining access to remote areas in a harsh climate achieving Internet connectivity was a hard challenge. Eventually it
networking would provide the best and most cost-effective solution, through Wi-Fi technology linked to the nearest Intern
city of Pokhara. International volunteers were recruited to help bring in donated equipment, set up the network, an
expand and maintain it, while Mr Pun and his group also learned how to assemble computers themselves. By 2002, the
connected to the Internet.
The following year saw the formal launch of the Nepal Wireless Networking Project, with the aim of expanding the W
Myagdi and the neighbouring districts of Parbat and Kaski. Funds were raised nationally and internationally through the i
and his supporters and also through international partnerships with aid agencies. By 2008, Internet connections had bee
centres, schools and clinics in 42 villages, with plans to add 19 more. ITU contributed equipment worth some USD 30 000
Connecting computers
The Myagdi network of the Nepal Wireless Networking Project is owned and run by the Himanchal Higher Secondary S
structure involves many community stakeholders, allowing for democratic participation as well as the sharing of prof
builds and manages the network, but services are provided through independent communication centres in each villa
people.
The networking system has two relay stations to forward the wireless signal to a base station and server facility in Pokh
Om Hospital in the city. In the mountain villages, access to services is provided mainly through used desktop comput
telephony equipment and high-resolution network cameras facilitate phone services, telemedicine and e-education. Man
been donated by individuals and businesses from inside the country and abroad, while others were assembled by local pe
A variety of wireless devices maintain connectivity. The networks backbone connects the Pokhara base station to the
which are linked to villages via client connections. In five cases, connected villages also act as relay stations, due to the
the signal over the mountains. The network server in Pokhara uses open source Linux software, which has proved to be
by local volunteers through the use of graphical user interfaces and customized management software.
Sustainable power
Because of their isolation, the villages do not have access to a mains electricity grid. Instead, the relay stations use such
The electricity for a computer laboratory at the school in Nangi comes from a micro-hydroelectric system in a local st
increase its output to power a grid for the entire village.
Services for the community
The services that are now available in these remote mountain villages include:
E-mail: Villagers use the free accounts available through nepalwireless.net or other web mail services, such as Ya
Telephone service: Ordinary landline phone calls can be placed through Internet telephony equipment and the
(PBX) software on the network server
e-Education: To help address a shortage of qualified teachers, there are programmes to provide live lessons to
networked cameras
Telemedicine: In collaboration with Om Hospital in Pokhara, medical services are offered to residents of remote
video links
Community: Using an online forum, villagers can exchange news and opinions, place advertisements, and engag
Money transfers: In collaboration with thamel. com, a business based in Kathmandu, the capital of the Feder
Nepal, money transfers (used by family members working abroad) and credit card transactions are available.
These services have been enthusiastically taken up by local people. They can go online at community centres for a
Internet-protocol (VoIP) phone calls can also be made. Lessons in basic computer skills are offered too, by students fr
Kathmandu. And women health workers in the villages are trained at hospitals in the capital or in Pokhara.
While remaining affordable by local people, the charges for services generate revenue for the Nepal Wireless Networkin
expand its work. Meanwhile, residents in neighbouring Himalayan villages that are not yet connected understand the ben
sometimes walk for several hours to reach centres where they can access the Internet or VoIP phone services.
Job creation
One of the most important goals of the project is to give rural residents a better way to trade goods, and to create jobs
Secondary School offers vocational training programmes and is engaged in community development projects such as
conservation, and handicrafts.
Yak and cattle farming is one example. The wireless network is used to manage a project in which the animals are kep
stations, high up on the mountain slopes. Despite the isolation, herders can communicate with other staff using e-ma
Projects like these are also targeting the tourist market. Camp grounds for trekkers have been established near wher
animals milk is used to make cheese that is sold to tourist lodges.
The ITU mission team with staff of Himanchal Higher Secondary School
and residents of Nangi village
Photo credit: Y. Kawasumi
ITU visit
Ten of the connected villages were visited in May 2008 by a team representing Study Group 2 of ITUs Telecommunica
(ITUD), examining Question 10-2/2 on Telecommunications for rural and remote areas. Their mission was to study co
solutions for rural communications in developing countries. In addition, the team delivered more equipment for the netwo
The teams report gave high marks to the effectiveness and sustainability of the Nepal Wireless Networking Project,
greatly contributed to social and human development in Himalayan mountain villages.
Future expansion
Before the project, there was no telecommunication infrastructure in the Myagdi area, very limited electricity supplies an
a wireless network has been established to bring information and communication technologies to villagers in the Himalay
are being sought with the national and local governments, and a One dollar a month campaign has been launched to r
strategic plan to expand the Nepal Wireless Networking Project to as many rural areas of the country as possible tha
unserved.
* More details of the Nepal Wireless Networking Project are available at: www.nepalwireless.net/index.php
May 28, 2012, Gram Power setup Indias first Smart Microgrid in rural Rajasthan. Jacob and I built the system with
our own hands in collaboration with the village community erecting poles, setting up solar panels, connecting
batteries and wiring up our first generation smart meters. I had no idea whether the system would work and even if
it did, how far would we go. But seeing the level of impact the system created in the village, I was sure of one thing
Gram Power would scale.
3 years hence, weve come a long way. In terms of impact, weve electrified 19 remote villages and 30 more Smart
Microgrids are under construction. Were launching a product in Africa this summer that is expected to reach 1
Million families within the next 4 years. And what were most excited about, is that in 2015 were bringing our
Smart Metering technology on the national grid with paradigm shifting business models. If all goes like it has been
so far, the time is quite close when our technology will bring our electricity infrastructure on the internet to
organize and manage energy infrastructure, the way Google has managed consumer information!
Reflecting back on our technology development history makes me really proud of what our team has achieved in
such a short span of time. In 2011, when Jacob and I graduated, all we had was a smart battery that could run lights,
cell phones and radios. It was a neat device but basically it was just a better alternative to a solar lantern. Today we
have developed the industrys most integrated and advanced smart metering solution. What does this mean?
It means that just by replacing your electricity meter in the house with ours, your power distribution company can
manage the entire electricity infrastructure from the internet. Today, in several towns of India, the distribution
company doesnt even know where their consumers are! With our technology, consumers can monitor their
consumption online in real time and understand whether their AC, heater or incandescent light bulb is the electron
guzzler or their power distribution company is taking them for a ride! There will be no more cryptic electricity bills
and consumers will be able to recharge their energy meters just as they recharge their cell phones. Blackouts will
almost be eliminated and power theft will be significantly curtailed. In a nutshell we can radically reduce the $18
Billion of losses that our grid today faces, which is sufficient to power up 490 million people in India for a year. With
help from the US government, we are first bringing our solution this year for 10,000 families connected to the grid
post which, well very soon be in your cities, towns and villages as well.
Were touching lives every day and exponentially more lives each year. And all this has been possible only because
of the amazingly passionate team at Gram Power. Its very rare to be working in a team that has passionate
technology geeks, design gurus, business leaders, operations freaks, all of who outperform themselves and
continue to be with us because of the impact their work is able to create. With all the new opportunities and
traction Gram Power has today and the strong financial support weve received internationally, our team is
expanding very rapidly and I hope our passion for impact and innovation continues to infect more and more.
Looking forward to updating you all on our next big leap soon. Cheers!
Technical Specifications:
A big part of it is played by the high mountain ranges spread equally in all four corners and even the centre
of India namely Sahyadri , Aravali, Vindhya, Eastern and Himalayan ranges.
Indian Mountain Ranges (marked in brown lines) - are the water storing tanks of the country.
These mountains have very large surface areas and they trap rain water in cavities within the mountains and
hold them for months after the monsoon.
Biggest Country - Russia, Country with biggest water bodies - Canada, Country with biggest percentage of
Fresh Water to Land Area-India.
The Himachal mountain range have a unique part as due to the effect of snow forming at night and thawing
under the heat of the sun during daytime, it produces rivers that never run dry. Always be careful of playing
in a small stream around the Himalayan region as a gently flowing stream during sunrise, could turn into a
raging river by midday and go back to be the trickling stream by sunset.
Due to the above reasons India is blessed with the highest ratio of fresh water vs land area in the World. Yet
almost the whole of India is under perpetual water shortage especially to irrigate its fields.
There are two reasons for this:
Lack of electricity
Solar-powered water pumping solutions is the best way to overcome the 1st problem of shortage of
irrigation and drinking water for rural population in India. This can be achieved by setting up solar PV panel
combined with electric pumps in remote rural regions of India. Solar powered irrigation pumps are cheaper,
longer lasting and more reliable than diesel powered irrigation pumps. Farmers across India have realized
the benefits or solar energy and how it benefits their daily life and have started implementing solar panels to
solve their power problems.
There are multiple players who are engaging the local villagers. Here are some of them
PV array on the roof of a branch of the AG Bank, providing backup in case of power cuts
SELCO-India is a company that believes that clean energy can work for everyone, rich and poor. But it also
appreciates that, without credit, clean energy can remain the preserve of the few. By working with local
banks and microfinance organisations, SELCO has given nearly 112,000 homes across Southern India
access
to
more
reliable
and
more
cost-effective
sources
of
power.
The technology is solar, tailored photovoltaic systems installed in homes and also for market-stall holders
and other small businesses. In a country where electricity supply is unreliable for many and non-existent for
44% of the population, this is life-changing. Children can read, women can devote more time to incomegenerating activities and all can breathe more easily as keroseneburning lamps are discarded.
The credit comes in the form of loans from the finance institutions which are also tailored to individual
circumstance and which are typically repaid over five years with savings from lower fuel costs. SELCO
doesnt make loans itself, but provides the credibility and customer knowledge which the lender requires.
Aurore,
India
Dont underestimate the potential of solar power. Aurores work with photo voltaic (PV) systems across
India demonstrates that they are a viable source of energy for local communities.
Aurore is a hub of expertise. Not just technical expertise, but also critical financial and management
expertise. By providing such a suite of skills, Aurore enables partner organizations across India to install and
operate PV water pumps, solar home systems and solar lanterns providing cheaper, more sustainable energy
than
diesel-based
alternatives.
By 2009 lighting systems had been set up in 17,000 homes. Even more significantly, over 7,000 PV pumps
have been installed bringing huge benefits to local communities. In Gujarat alone over 3,000 villages are
using PV pumps to provide drinking water or wider irrigation.
Barefoot
College,
India
The Barefoot College believes that practical skills as much as paper qualifications are crucial in supporting
and developing the poorest and least literate communities. The training of villagers to install solar lighting
systems
in
the
Himalayas
captures
perfectly
that
philosophy.
Burdened by temperatures of -40 degrees centigrade in winter and with only six hours of daylight, local
communities in the Himalayas often lack the funds needed to buy kerosene for lighting and heating. The
Barefoot Colleges answer is not short-term subsidy, but practical solutions and training. Barefoot engineers
from the poorest communities are trained over a period of three to six months in the installation and
maintenance of solar lighting systems developed by the college. By 2009, 472 had qualified.
The College encourages the communities to take responsibility for their energy needs. Each community
must form an Energy Committee and chose its own candidates for training. At least 30% of the committee
members must be women. The Committee is responsible for deciding how much each family must pay for
the system and for administering the system once it is up and running. Like the system itself, responsibility
is a long-term investment.
Solar
Power
Irrigation
Solar powered irrigation pumps have a strong economic rationale compared to high cost of providing last
mile electricity connection to villagers and savings in power subsidies given for agriculture. In Punjab, for
instance, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal- BJP party, is giving free power to over 10 lakh farmers in the state,
entailing an expenditure of over Rs 4,778.13 crore (US$7.9 million). Generally an Irrigation pump needs a 3
HP motor to draw water from deeper tube-well, this motor costs around Rs 180,000 ($3,000). In some
places famers are complaining that 3 hp is not enough and are demanding 5 and 10 hp solar pumps. See
another
example.
The fear of unsustainable groundwater extraction, sinking water tables are misplaced as the ground water
extracted will go back to the ground as the farmer irrigates his land.
Another solution would be to build a huge common solar panel roof where the villagers can bring their
batteries to recharge and pay a small fee for the upkeep & cleaning of the solar roof.
Solutions to trap the water:
One of Mankind biggest challenge is the trapping of rain water into artificial ponds or lakes instead of letting
the water flow into the sea and is lost for use. Generally people 100 yrs ago were better at trapping rain
water than what we are today. In all parts of the world trapping of rain water was extensively practiced.
To avoid theft these panels are fitted with anti-theft nuts and each panel has its unique serial number and
RFID
At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has targeted to double farm incomes by 2022,
a unique initiative in his home state aims to achieve exactly the same. Next week, the countrys
first solar cooperative set up by six small farmers in Dhundi village of Kheda district will
begin harvesting the first units of solar power from their farms and supply it to the electricity
grid. This initiative will empower these farmers with an estimated supplementary income of
about Rs 4,000 per month.
The uniqueness of this farmers cooperative in Central Gujarat is that, these small-time
agriculturalists having land holdings that are smaller than 1.5 acres have not only replaced
their conventional diesel pump-sets with the solar powered ones, but have also connected these
irrigation pumps to the local power grid.
This means, that when the farmer is not using the solar power to irrigate his farms, he can just
flip a switch and redirect the power being generated on his farm directly to the grid, thus earning
a supplementary income in the process.
This model not only provides a supplementary income to the farmers, but also incentivises them
for not overdrawing groundwater using freely available solar power. This solar cooperative will
formally recognised for its innovativeness by Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel, at a
formal event at Anand, on May 9.
Our solar cooperative Dhundi Solar Urja Udpadak Sahkari Mandali Ltd has been invited
for accepting a reward from the Gujarat CM. We will be receiving a letter of appreciation from
the chief minister at a Krishi Mahotsav event at Anand Agricultural University on Monday. We
are happy that this new concept is being recognised by the state government, said Parvin
Parmar (29), who is one of the first members and the secretary of the solar cooperative.
On the same day, the solar cooperative is expected to begin evacuating power to the grid. The
farmers from this cooperative will begin evacuating power to the grid from Monday onwards.
Their irrigation pumps have been connected to the grid and so when they are not irrigating their
fields, the power produced by the solar panels can be evacuated and supplied to the grid.
Together we expect them to sell 60,000 units of power and earn anywhere between Rs 2-2.5 lakh
annually. This would mean a very good monthly supplementary income of about Rs 4,000 for
these farmers whose monthly income ranges between Rs 6,000-7,000, says Tushaar Shah, an
Anand-based economist, water management expert and a senior fellow from Colombo-based
IWMI (International Water Management Institute) who has been spearheading the project.
Earlier this week, this solar cooperative also inked a 25-year-long power purchase agreement
with Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd under which the state discom will pay Rs 4.63 to every
unit of solar power produced by the farmers of the solar cooperative.
The solar pumps can roughly generate about 40-45 units of power every day and can help reduce
the burden on state discoms that sell subsidised power to farmers in Gujarat at an average of 56
paise per unit.
During the past 10 years diesel and electricity prices have been steadily increasing. Further,
some locations are so remote that there is no grid connectivity and hence no 3 phase
power for running pumps. Where grid connectivity is provided, the supplied grid voltage is
often too low to run a pump. Villagers running diesel based pumps have to spend a whole
day in procuring and transporting diesel.
Additionally, distance between the village and the water source often necessitates grueling,
frequent trips by women and children to draw water from the wells and carry it home. For
example, women and children in many tribal villages and hamlets in Jawhar Taluka of
Palghar District were required to walk up to 2 km every day to get water for their
households.
In such scenarios solar water pumps are an ideal solution - they help save time, diesel /
electricity costs, require little maintenance and have a long product life.
Gram Oorja offers solar pumping solutions for drinking, irrigation & commercial
applications. It studies customers' water demands, site conditions like vertical head, water
table, pipe length, etc. and provides optimal solutions. In grid connected villages, these
pumps can also work on normal single phase grid when there is no solar irradiation.
Pumping solutions range from 30-200 m head and water requirement of 3,000-1,00,000
litres per day .Gram Oorja prefers to install water flow meters to measure the actual
quantity of water pumped daily.
Gram Oorja was commissioned by an NGO Pragati Pratishthan to install 43 solar pumping
systems in different Padas (Small Hamlets).
List of villages in Palghar where Gram Oorja installed solar pumps is mentioned below.
Sr No.
Village Name
Head
(m)
PV
Capacity
(kWp)
Pardhipada
30
150
Drinking 5000
50
0.25
Alemet
Irrigation 10000
40
0.45
Khidsa
65
325
Drinking 10000
50
1.84
Borichaghoda
45
225
Drinking 10000
80
1.61
Bhawardyachapada 35
175
Drinking 8750
40
0.96
Akare
66
330
Drinking 16500
108
1.92
Meghwalpada
25
125
Drinking 6250
82
1.44
Wakichapada
20
100
Drinking 5000
70
1.44
Dongaripada
40
200
Drinking 10000
158
1.44
10
Alivpada
25
125
Drinking 8750
92
1.68
11
Kahandolpada
76
380
Drinking 12000
129
1.92
12
Behedpada
50
250
Drinking 10000
135
1.92
13
Dhangadpada
35
175
Drinking 9000
80
0.96
14
Kalamwadi
21
105
Drinking 5000
130
0.96
15
Sadakwadi
120
600
Drinking 20000
54
1.92
16
Dongaripada
40
200
Irrigation 10000
3.00
17
Jalichapada
47
350
Drinking 17500
50
1.92
18
Dandval
100
700
Drinking 35000
43
1.92
19
Pasodipada
46
275
Drinking 13750
47
1.92
20
Karoli
65
390
Drinking 19500
35
1.92
21
Kalampada
80
700
Drinking 35000
43
1.92
22
Asaranagar
30
200
Drinking 10000
44
1.92
23
Zappada
125
680
Drinking 34000
55
1.92
24
Gabhalepada
65
350
Drinking 17500
60
1.92
25
Kanhatpada
15
75
Drinking 3750
35
0.72
26
Khalichamal
70
450
Drinking 22500
63
1.92
27
Osarvihira
25
150
Drinking 7500
26
1.44
28
Kudawa
57
363
Drinking 18150
100
1.92
29
Sutarpada
57
309
Drinking 15450
30
1.92
30
Charanwadi
60
344
Drinking 17200
50
1.92
31
Ghodichapada
99
440
Drinking 22000
35
1.92
3. Adoshi, Junnar
Gram Oorja has installed a solar pump in a village Adoshi in Aajnawale Gram Panchayat,
Junnar Tehsil, Pune District for domestic purposes.