Micro-Grid Site Summaries

SELCO Foundation
Microgrids
Details of SELCO Foundation microgrid pilot sites
2013-2015

Contents
1. Background and Introduction
a. Approach
b. Map of all sites analysed in Karnataka
c. Timeline for all sites
d. Map of all sites installed
2. The sites (for each of the 4 installed by SELCO Foundation)
a. About the site
b. The system
c. The model
d. Project phases
e. Learnings and replication
3. Learnings from non-implemented sites

Microgrids
Background and
Introduction
With 1.6 billion people still remaining unelectrified,
exploring different replicable energy access models
becomes critical. Possible models include micro/mini-
grids, individual decentralised energy systems, central
charging stations etc. This presentation focuses on the
work done by SELCO Foundation to explore microgrids
as a potential solution.
SELCO Foundation explored the potential aspects of
microgrids to understand the technical, financial and
social implications from an ecosystem and context/user
driven perspective. This report documents these
projects as well as presenting key areas of learnings
and concepts that could be replicated into other
microgrid (or other technology) projects.

Approach
A successful microgrid project is not just an installation of technology in
a community, but consists of many stages and aspects including
appropriate needs assessment and setting up a suitable business
model for the site. SELCO Foundation’s investigation into microgrids
therefore focused on experimenting with different models and drawing
out learnings from each phase of the project.
The following phases define a microgrid project:
1. Site identification
2. Survey & needs assessment
3. Design
4. Agreement
5. Installation & Commissioning
6. Business Model setup
7. Maintenance and monitoring
By implementing 4 pilot projects, and surveying many more sites, some
key lessons were learnt about each of these phases, and concepts that
could be replicated were highlighted. Mendare: a remote village in MM hills

Arshingere, Gundihambla &
Paradeshianappamutta,
Chikmagalur
Byahatti, Dharwad Allapur, Kalaburagi
Doddane, Thokkere, MM Hills
Bellary Labour Camp
Kanakapura mines
Baikampady, Mangaluru
Mendare, MM Hills
Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyala,
Dharwad
Neelakantarayanagaddi, Yadgiri
Deriya & Joida, Dandeli
Sites analysed within Karnataka
not implemented pending
not implemented
not implemented
not implemented
implemented
implemented
not implemented
not implemented
implemented
implemented

Arshingere, Gundihambla &
Paradeshianappamutta,
Chikmagalur
Byahatti, Dharwad
Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya,
Dharwad
Deriya & Joida, Dandeli
not implemented
implemented
not implemented
not implemented
implemented
Allapur, Kalaburagi
Doddane, Thokkere, MM Hills
Bellary Labour Camp
Mendare, MM Hills
Neelakantarayanagaddi, Yadgiri
reopened in November 2015
not implemented
not implemented
implemented
implemented
May 2013 Jul 2014
Jun 2013 Aug 2014
Jul 2013 Sep 2014
Aug 2013 Oct 2014
Sep 2013 Nov 2014
Oct 2013 Dec 2014
Nov 2013 Jan 2015
Dec 2013 Feb 2015
Jan 2014 Mar 2015
Feb 2014 Apr 2015
Mar 2014 May 2015
Apr 2014 Jun 2015
May 2014 Jul 2015
Jun 2014 Aug 2015
… Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya
Munger, Bihar
implementing
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
not implemented
Timelines

Entrepreneur run, loan from Canara
Bank, collections cover EMI
PV(1.2kW), Battery(19.2kWh) & Grid
Migrant labourer community
75 tin-sheet roof households
90 lights, 75 mobile chargers, 3 fans
and 1 TV.
140Rs to 200Rs per month
Mendare, MM Hills
Local NGO, Myrada, as partner
Funded by annual collection from
community & Armstrong Energy
Foundation
PV(600W) & Battery (9.6kWh)
22 mud & thatch / brick & tin-sheet
houses
2 lights and mobile charger in each
1000Rs per year
Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya
A 14kW system installed in a music
school for hut based class rooms.
Battery (72kWh) & Grid
Classrooms (lighting, digital education
equipment etc.), hostels (lighting, TV),
office (laptops, lighting fans), kitchen
Part of holistic solution including
energy efficiency measures.
Neelakantarayanagaddi
Local Business Associate as partner
Funded by BA, Armstrong Energy
Foundation & community
PV(1.2kW) & Battery (9.6kWh)
41 mud & thatch / brick & tin-sheet
houses
1 or 2 lights and mobile charger (5Rs or
100Rs per month)
Installed Projects in Karnataka

Baikampady,
Mangalore
Entrepreneur run microgrid by
landlord/ landowner for low-
income labour colony
● Community: Migrant labourers to industrial
area North of Mangalore
● Operational model: Entrepreneur run, micro-
grid installed on land-owner’s house
● Financial model: Down-payment and bank
loan from entrepreneur. Rent charged to
tenants increased so that monthly EMI is
covered.
● Loads powered: 60 1-room houses (3m x 4m)
with 1 light + mobile charger - 140Rs/month
charge. 15 larger houses (10m x 10m) with 2
light + mobile charger + power for fan and TV -
200Rs/month charge
● Technical specifications: 96VDC system, 1.2
kWpk PV panel, 200Ahx96V battery bank,
unreliable grid power as backup. Loads work
on 96VDC, the standard AC adapters for
mobile charging and LCD TVs work on this DC
voltage.

Baikampady, Mangalore. 75 houses were provided with lighting, mobile charging plus some with TVs and fans

About the site
The entrepreneur who owns and operates the micro-grid
system inherited the property from his father. The land is
used as a plantation for coconuts, bananas, and other
plants. Previously, the owner rented land to laborers who
lived in makeshift tarpaulin tents. Due to a court order and
community pressure, the owner was required to construct
basic apartments for the resident laborers. Prior to installing
the mini-grid system, residents would primarily use
kerosene for light at a cost of 150-200 Rs per month. The
kerosene was difficult to procure and poses health and
safety risks. Residents would pay an additional 60-70 Rs
per month for mobile charging.
Grid power is available at the site, but there were a number
of drawbacks to directly using the grid. First, government
agencies do not recognize the site as a formal settlement
so there was a regulatory risk to installing grid electricity.
Second, the electricity service in this area is not reliable.
And finally, the electric service provider charges a minimum
fee for each meter even if no power is consumed. As this
housing is used by migrant day-laborers, the houses are
not fully occupied year-round. A solar PV micro-grid was
therefore suggested, making use of the land-owner to build
a sustainable model.
PV and
Battery
Location
15 larger houses
60 houses Open
well
Industrial
Area
Good
road
access
Coconut
plantation
Residential
Area
The site
Sea

The model - linkage with rent
The key to this model is the linkage to rent. The same
customers already pay the landlord rent, so the cost of the
microgrid is added onto this, and there is no additional
transaction cost. Most importantly: the incentive for the
landlord is not, primarily, to make a profit on the microgrid,
but instead to increase occupancy of the labour camp, so
increasing his collections from rent and the microgrid.
The fee for the microgrid was therefore calculated to cover
the EMI of the bank loan with the current occupancy.
Neighbouring households staying in lower quality
accommodation then are attracted to stay in his, occupancy
increases and the entrepreneur starts to make profit.
The finances just after the project was implemented are
summarised to the right. His EMI comes to Rs. 9,201 which
will repay a Rs. 4,14,000 in 5 years. To cover this EMI he
must charge the larger households Rs. 250 extra and the
smaller households Rs. 150 extra.
If occupancy increases to 100% then he will profit Rs. 3,549
Costs
Capital Costs (INR) 5,14,000
Down payment (INR) 1,00,000
Loan amount, 12%, 5 years (INR) 4,14,000
EMI (INR) 9,201
Monthly maintenance costs (INR) 857
Collections
Larger household - number 10
Larger household - INR per month 250
Smaller household - number 50
Smaller household - INR per month 150
Total monthly revenue (INR) 10,000
Monthly Profit (INR) -58
Monthly Profit @ 100% Occupancy
(INR)
3,549

The System
System voltage: 96VDC
PV panels: 4x 300W, 24V, series connection, EmmVee
Batteries: 8x 200Ah, 12V, series connection, Primetech
Charge controller: Customer made Solar + Grid 96VDC
charger, Solar-Battery-Grid priority, Power One
Transmission: 96VDC, Aluminium single core wire in PVC
pipe
Household connection: Clusters of houses had copper
wire connection, junction boxes for Aluminium to Copper
connection
Household wiring: Copper with standard consumables
Load control: Fuses for each house limit power
consumption. Timing is centrally & manually controlled by
Entrepreneur
Loads used: 96VDC LED lights, 3W. Standard AC
universal power supplies work on 96VDC, so standard TVs,
mobile chargers and 12V adapter for fans were used.
Monitoring: Data logger installed to measure and monitor
usage. No remote connection: data must be downloaded
locally
Panels mounted-top of on
land-owner’s house roof
Batteries and 96VDC charge
regulator stored inside room on
side of land-owner’s house
Two load lines for two
sections of the community.
Load switched on with
MCBs by entrepreneur
Data-logger to record and
monitor load use and solar
generation
15largerhouses
60 smaller houses

Project phases
Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
The site was identified by a business associate of SELCO
The needs assessment was driven mainly by the entrepreneur who defined the number of lights, TVs and fans
to be installed.
As the first pilot project then design was handled by the SELCO Foundation technology team. Having grid
available for backup enabled a lower cost design (less battery backup required)
With the community being represented only by the entrepreneur, then only one person needed to be
persuaded and agree for the project. This was therefore relatively simple.
Installation was done by the local branch and managed by a member of the tech team from head office as it
was the first installation. Mostly straightforward, but using single core concealed in PVC pipes was difficult due
to stiffness of the Aluminium wire.
Collection is managed by the entrepreneur who was already collecting rent charges, so only increased the
amount collected each month.
The system is located near to a SELCO branch, so all monitoring and most of the maintenance is carried out
by them. As a new system, there were initial requirements for engineers from head office to visit, but the
technicians were trained in dealing with these problems (e.g. loose connections in transmission wiring)

Learnings & Replication
Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Survey
The needs assessment was driven mainly by the entrepreneur who defined the number of lights, TVs
and fans to be installed.
Possible replications:
If a local representative can be found, and relied upon, then the complexity of the project is reduced.
Rather than spending time getting to know the community, the required knowledge can be provided by
this representative.
Learnings:
The needs assessment changed a number of times before the project was installed, and the final choice
of the number of TVs and fans did not match what the community was willing to pay for. Also, when
additional services were identified as potentially useful for the community, there was no real interest from
the landlord. This limited the impact possible from the project.
Conclusions:
A local representative greatly helped in guiding needs assessment. However, based on experience built
up with other projects, the implementing organisation (SELCO in this case) should guide the
representative in what is likely to be needed by the community. This ensures proper sizing & design,
recovery of costs and maximum impact of the project.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Agreement
With the community being represented only by the entrepreneur, then only one person needed to be
persuaded and agree for the project. This was therefore relatively simple.
Microgrids are community projects, but having a single voice for the community helped in moving the
project forward. This voice could be an entrepreneur, but more often could be the village head, a local
influential figure etc.
Learnings:
Two houses had dropped out after 6 months, opting to pay less and remove the light. Both houses were
occupied by bachelors who were mostly out for work. This did not majorly affect the viability of the
project, but in other cases there is a risk that without individual opinions being voiced, individual choices
may not be well represented.
Conclusions:
A single voice is useful but this person should adequately take inputs from all members of the
community.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Business Model
Link to increase occupation and rent... Collection is managed by the entrepreneur who was already
collecting rent charges, so only increased the amount collected each month.
The collections at the site were tied into rent collections; if a household stopped paying then they would
be at risk of eviction. This leads to a strong and risk-free mechanism. Similar cases could be established
with employer-employee or purchaser-supplier relationships. Additionally, as the entrepreneur took a
loan for the system from a bank, there is no risk on an outside organisation (SELCO in this case) and
there is strong incentive for the entrepreneur to ensure that the collection mechanism works. Labour
camps & mandated for lighting...
Learnings:
The risk is fully on the entrepreneur and so needs to be managed carefully..
Conclusions:
The collections are strong in the site, but the same model could not be applied across many different
sites as finding entrepreneurs willing and able to take loans (or existing transaction...) for systems may
not be possible in remote villages, for example.

Left: 1.2kWpk PV array on the roof of the landowner’s house Right: 3W LED light illuminates the kitchen of a house

Left: Two rows of the smaller houses Right: The LED light and connection point for TV and mobile charger

Kalkeri Sangeet
Vidyalaya
Providing reliable and clean
energy to a rural institution
● Community: Residential music school
● Operational model: School purchased and
maintains the system
● Financial model: Grant awarded to school to
fund project
● Loads powered: Classrooms (lighting, digital
education equipment etc.), hostels (lighting,
TV), office (laptops, lighting fans), kitchen. Part
of holistic solution including energy efficiency
measures
● Technical specifications: 14kWpk PV with
17kWh battery. Single phase inverter system
with 3 phase grid charging and 240V DC
system voltage. Distributed energy monitoring
to help in managing energy usage at the site.

Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya, a 14kW PV system powers the entire campus

About the site
The Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya is situated in Kalkeri village,
Dharwad district in Karnataka. The school was founded in
2002 to provide musical and modern academic education to
underprivileged children. Students are educated in
traditional Indian classical music as well as usual subjects
within a peaceful rural atmosphere. In 2014 the school won
the Zyed Future Energy Award for sustainable schools, and
put this money towards solving its energy reliability issues
in a sustainable way. Training and awareness creating
programmes aim at creating future energy champions that
will have the first-hand experience of living under 100%
sustainable conditions.
KSV is located inside a forested area and all aspects of the
school aim to minimise the impact on its surroundings.
Buildings are mainly built in a traditional style with locally
available materials. A grid connection serves the site, but
this is unreliable in day-times which affects the school’s
operations. Classrooms were fitted with individual solar PV
systems, powering lights and projectors, hostels had DC
lighting systems and the office had an inverter system.
Shading from trees affected these system’s performance.
PV and
Battery
Location
Underground
4-wire AC
wiring
Classrooms,
Office
Classrooms,
Hostels
Volunteers
accommodation
Farm land
Forest

The model: Using data for design & monitoring
Energy auditing:
When designing a system for a larger and more complex
site it is very important to understand the energy use at the
site. Team members visited the school for an extended
period to collect the detailed requirements.
Energy efficiency:
Based on the energy audit a combined solution of a PV
microgrid and energy efficiency measures were suggested.
Energy efficiency is key to the system; reducing
consumption reduces the size of the system which reduces
the upfront cost and the recurring maintenance cost.
Time (hour)
Power(VA)
Estimated hourly load profile after energy
efficiency measures
System design:
After energy efficiency measures are taken into a account
the system was designed to provide reliable energy supply
using mostly solar at a reasonable budget. Grid supply data
and solar irradiation data was collected and the balance
between cost, reliability and clean energy was optimised.
Post installation monitoring and review:
Data monitoring allows continued assessment of the
system and resource utilisation. Advice was given on
upgrades to the system including control modification
during monsoon and load additions.
Energy/day(kWh)
Average daily energy
demand and use per day

The System
PV panels: 14kWpk array (10 series x 5 parallel 280Wpk)
Batteries: 72kWh array (120x 300Ah, 2V, series)
Power Conditioning Unit: 20kVA rated, 3phase input,
1phase output. Output is given to three separate wires.
Transmission: 1 phase transmission on underground 4-
core.
Building connection: Clusters of buildings connected via
distribution boxes.
Building wiring: Copper with standard consumables
Load control: MCBs for each building
Loads used: Variety of AC loads, lights, fans, TVs, laptops
in office and hostels. Kitchen loads, washing machine.
Monitoring: Each distribution point has an energy meter.
Data is logged to a central server so the school can see
generation and consumption data. If one section of
buildings consumes extra load this is seen and can be
prevented. If required, building level monitoring can be
provided for specific auditing.
50 Panels mounted on custom
built MMS over battery room
PCU
120 numbers of 2V,
300Ah batteries on
two racks
Control panel with
data monitoring
3ph Grid Input
1ph AC Output on
4-core UG cable
PV input
Distribution
Boxes
Power consumption from
each distribution box is
measured and logged

Project phases
Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya is a past customer of SELCO’s and the grant proposal was jointly written by KSV
and SELCO
A detailed energy audit was carried out to establish load demand and assess the best possible solutions.
Using the inputs from the energy audit a best design was given using HOMER simulation tool to assess
various options. A mixed solar + grid system was found to be most effective, where reduced
The project was commission by the school, so only one customer had to be considered. Hence agreement for
the project was not an issue.
The installation & commissioning was managed by SELCO projects team with help from SELCO Foundation
as this was a special project and involved some complexities.
The system was paid for in advance with a percentage paid on commissioning of the system.
The local branch and projects team is available for maintenance of the system with tech team members from
head office available for more complex issues. A remote monitoring system is used.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Survey & Design
An energy audit was carried out to establish load demand and assess the best possible solutions. Using
the inputs from the energy audit a best design was given.
The energy audit gave a good understanding of the load requirements at the site which allowed for
optimising the design. For larger projects this should become the standard approach to assessment and
design, to establish the hourly load profile and grid availability. The battery sizing in particular, can be
optimised with this data.
Learnings:
At the time of auditing, data monitoring and power analysing tools were not available, so load estimates
were done by observation. The data collected was therefore limited but not fully accurate, and the result
was an overestimation of peak demand and so an oversized inverter. Data logging before installation is
therefore recommended, preferably after energy efficiency measures have been introduced.
Conclusions:
Energy auditing is a skill that needs to be developed within the team for large projects in the future. Tools
such as power analysers or data loggers are recommended to be used in future audits.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Installation & Commission
The installation & commissioning was managed by SELCO projects team with help from SELCO
Foundation as this was a special project and involved some complexities. By far the largest challenge
was in installation of the Module Mounting Structure (MMS). The panels were mounted above another
building on a separate steel structure and a building was constructed underneath this for the batteries.
Due to rains and difficult ground work the installation of this far overshot the expected timelines.
Furthermore, the MMS structure itself was designed primarily for safety, but it is expected that some
optimisation is possible.
Replication:
Customisation of MMS is important to fit the customer’s needs. Hiring heavy machinery saved time in the
installation (this could have been hired earlier).
Learnings:
At the time of design and installation no in-house capability existed for design of MMS. This has since
been rectified and by doing a detailed structure design it may be possible to save costs for future
customised structures.
Conclusions:
The team coped with the unforeseen challenges in a new project and the lessons learnt have better
equipped the team for similar projects in the future.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Maintenance & Monitoring
The local branch and projects team is available for maintenance of the system with tech team members
from head office available for more complex issues. A remote monitoring system is used.
Replication:
The data collected gave a very accurate picture of the load being used by the site and the generation
available. By analysing this data it is possible to suggest additions to the system to make better use of
the energy available. For this system, the analysis improved the service given to the customer. For
systems where collections are dependant on energy consumed then this analysis could increase the
amount collected from the system and so improve the project’s viability/profitability.
Learnings:
For more complex systems adequate time should be given to local technicians to maximise the number
and type of issues that can be solved.
Conclusions:
Data collection should be added to all microgrid projects, minimal feature data loggers are available from
around 1000Rs, so cost would not be a limiting factor

Left: Inverter, control panel and data logger Right: 120x 2V, 300Ah battery array

Left: Clearing boulders for the MMS foundations Right: Fitting the PV panels to the MMS

Mendare Village,
MM Hills
Working with a local NGO to
provide reliable energy access to
a vulnerable community
● Community: Remote village of 22 houses in
MM hills near Mysore
● Operational model: Local NGO as partner for
supporting operations.
● Financial model: Annual payment from
community with capital subsidy from CSR
● Loads powered: 2 lights in each of the 22
houses with a mobile charger
● Technical specifications: 48VDC system and
transmission. 600Wpk PV with 200Ah, 48VDC
battery bank. Data monitoring and remote
access/control.

At Mendare village in MM hills, 600W of PV panels power 2 lights and mobile charging in each of the 22 houses.

About the site
There are a number of un-electrified communities in the
forest area surrounding Male Mahadeshwara, a temple
town south of Bangalore, Karnataka. These communities
are typically remote and access is often via a stone &
gravel road, passable by jeep or walking. Hence, providing
services to these areas is difficult. The communities do not
have grid power, but a number of households have installed
solar-home-systems. The Mysore branch of SELCO India
has installed more than 170 SHS in this area, as well as
three pump systems, and light-for-education systems. The
area is a good demonstration of renewable energy
providing power where grid infrastructure cannot reach.
Mendare is one such village, where there are 22 houses
clustered together, with around 5-8 others nearby. The
village is home to a tribal community which has land to
grow staple crops. Other sources of income are basket
weaving, and these are sold around the temple at MM hills.
Water is available from streams at the bottom of the valley,
or at the school which children attend 20 minutes walk
away. Children sometimes beg at the temple for money,
and generally the income levels of households are very low.
Houses are generally made of mud and thatch, with some
brick structures. The village is spread out in a line on top of
a hill.
Forest
PV and
battery
Dirt Path
access
22 houses along
ridge of hill
Mendare
Poor road
access to
MM hills
Nearby villages, end
of road access
Subsistence farms
Forest
Open
well
Water
collection point

The Model - Platform Microgrid
With remote and vulnerable communities it is important to
build a sustainable project which can help in development.
Often, free and low quality solar home systems or solar
streetlights are given to these communities, which quickly
fail and do not offer opportunity for other services apart
from lighting to be provided.
The model being piloted is therefore:
1. Provide for the immediate needs of the community
with the most appropriate technology.
2. Match the communities ability to pay, including how
much they can pay and how often.
3. Build up a reliable collection and monitoring
mechanism with the community.
4. Establish which services could be introduced later,
building on-top of the existing infrastructure and
operational model established.
Following this model at Mendare:
1. Lighting and mobile charging are provided
2. The community can pay 1000Rs annually, matching
their seasonal income from farming.
3. Myrada, a strong local partner, will collect this
amount from the community
4. The Rural Community Labs are now engaged in
establishing future services to be introduced.
The project was financed by Armstrong Energy Foundation
with a Rs.3,80,000 grant. This allowed the collection to be
put towards maintenance of the system.

The System
Charge controller: 48V Phocos CR
Transmission: 48VDC overhead wiring
Household connection: Service lines taken to house,
junction box inside house
Entrepreneur
Loads used: 48VDC LED lights, 3W. 48VDC mobile
charger
Monitoring: Centralised data logger with remote
monitoring. Timing of the system can be controlled remotely
and data collected and analysed remotely.
2x 300Wpk panels mounted on
a raised MMS for protection
4 12V, 200Ah
batteries stored
inside a hut
Control panel with
DC charge regulator
and data monitoring

Project phases
Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
The project site was identified by the local SELCO branch with Myrada, the NGO that works in the area.
A needs assessment and site survey was conducted by the SELCO branch and members of SELCO
Foundation, with Myrada.
The design was done by SELCO Foundation, and is a go-to standard design for a 48V microgrid providing for
basic lighting and mobile charging for a small village.
Agreement with the community was handled by Myrada, a reliable and strong partner who has existing
projects in the village.
Installation and commission was managed by SELCO Projects team with the help of SELCO Foundation, as it
was one of the first microgrid projects.
A grant funded the project’s capital costs and collections cover maintenance costs, including battery
replacement.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Business Model
replacement.
Replication:
The project does not offer returns on the capital investment, but does provide a sustainable and reliable
platform on which future interventions can be built. With the communities very limited ability to pay and
level of vulnerability, this is justified. Such projects should focus on the development of the community,
and providing a platform microgrid can facilitate future interventions. Furthermore, having a strong local
partner is essential for these projects to succeed, Myrada was key to this project’s implementation.
Learnings:
Return on capital cannot always be expected and matching the communities ability to pay is key, but
challenging to determine.
Conclusions:
There is a lot of discussion on how microgrids can play a role in rural electrification and expectations on
financial sustainability are high. Whilst decentralised energy systems are often far cheaper than
centralised grid the ability of remote communities to pay for electrcity must be taken into account. For
vulnerable communities the primary concern should be towards development of the village.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Replication:
By installing good quality wiring and a data monitoring system the amount of excess energy can be
determined and additional loads and services can be supported. The strong community partner,
however, is essential and can be used to build in extra services in the future.
Learnings:
To maximise efficiency, 48V loads were used. These are non-standard, so replacement of lights was not
straightforward. Spare lights should be stocked in the local branch.
Conclusions:
The system is simple and robust. Monitoring usage and working with the community to add other
services is key and the communities development should be focused on.

Left: At the first site survey, streetlights no longer functioning Right: PV installed, battery shed in construction

Neelakantarayanagaddi
Village, Yadgir
Business Associate driven
project to provide reliable energy
access
● Community: Remote village of 41 houses on
an river-island near to Yadgir
● Operational model: Business Associate as
local operator of the microgrid, collections
managed by village representative
● Financial model: Monthly payment for a fixed
package
● Loads powered: 1 or 2 lights in each of the 41
houses with a mobile charger
● Technical specifications: 48VDC system and
transmission. 1.2kWpk PV with 400Ah, 48VDC
battery bank. Data monitoring and remote
access/control.

Neelakantarayanagaddi is a village in Yadgir district. A solar PV micro-grid powers lights and mobile charging in 41 houses

About the site
A dam has been built on the Krishna river, near to
Shorapur, Yadgir district, in North Karnataka. SELCO India
has a branch in Gulbarga which has installed around 80
systems in a nearby town. The branch has built a
relationship with a business associate in the area who
identified an unelectrified village. Downstream from the dam
is a hill which is separated from the mainland during
monsoon season, when flood gates are opened, by the
Krishna river. On this hill a community has been settled for
a number of generations. Despite the presence of high-
tension transmission power lines above the village, no
power has been provided to the village.
The village contains 41 houses, a school and three
temples. At any one time the number of inhabitants in the
village would vary from 200 to 400, as they travel to cities or
nearby towns to work when farming seasons are over.
Hence the primary occupation of the men in the village is
agriculture, an secondary is labour. The women help in
agriculture and work in the house. Water is collected from a
nearby river, and rain irrigates the fields. During monsoon
season the village is cut-off from the other sides of the river,
preventing access to the nearest hospitals or banks which
are 12-15km away. The school also does not operate in this
time.
41 houses and 3
temples
PV and batterySchool The village
Bridge across river
Subsistence
farming
Dam
Nearest road
access

The System
Charge controller: 48V Phocos CR
Transmission: 48VDC overhead wiring
Household connection: Service lines taken to house,
junction box inside house
Entrepreneur
Loads used: 48VDC LED lights, 3W. 48VDC mobile
charger
Monitoring: Centralised data logger with remote
monitoring. Timing of the system can be controlled remotely
and data collected and analysed remotely.
4x 300Wpk panels mounted on
a raised MMS for protection
8 12V, 200Ah
batteries stored
inside a cabinet
Control panel with
DC charge regulator
and data monitoring

The Model - Platform Microgrid
With remote and vulnerable communities it is important to
build a sustainable project which can help in development.
Often, free and low quality solar home systems or solar
streetlights are given to these communities, which quickly
fail and do not offer opportunity for other services apart
from lighting to be provided.
The model being piloted is therefore:
1. Provide for the immediate needs of the community
with the most appropriate technology.
2. Match the communities ability to pay, including how
much they can pay and how often.
3. Build up a reliable collection and monitoring
mechanism with the community.
4. Establish which services could be introduced later,
building on-top of the existing infrastructure and
operational model established.
Following this model at Mendare:
1. Lighting and mobile charging are provided
2. The community can pay 50 to 100Rs per month. A
local operator will collect the money which will be
deposited into a bank account. A local business
associate will jointly manage this account.
3. The Rural Community Labs are now engaged in
establishing future services to be introduced.
4. In progress, water access was identified by the
community.
The project was financed by Armstrong Energy Foundation
with a Rs.6,00,000 grant and the local BA who donated Rs.
1,00,000. The collection will go towards maintenance and
future expansion of the system.

Project phases
Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
The project site was identified by the local SELCO branch with the business associate (BA).
A needs assessment and site survey was conducted by the SELCO branch and members of SELCO
Foundation, with a representative of the BA
The design was done by SELCO Foundation, and is a go-to standard design for a 48V microgrid providing for
basic lighting and mobile charging for a small village.
Agreement with the community was mainly handled by the SELCO branch with the help of the business
associate.
Installation and commission was managed by SELCO Projects team with the help of SELCO Foundation, as it
was one of the first microgrid projects.
replacement.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Agreement, Installation & Commissioning
Agreement with the community was mainly handled by the SELCO branch with the help of the business
associate. Installation and commission was managed by SELCO Projects team with the help of SELCO
Foundation, as it was one of the first microgrid projects.
Replication:
The local BA helped in managing the agreement of the project which helped move the process along.
Learnings:
The system was commissioned before any payment had been collected from the community. It was
assumed that the households would be willing to pay 50 to 100Rs for 5 hours of service in the evening
based on discussions with the community. However no collections happened until longer hours of
service were provided. The system had been oversized for future load addition, so could cope with this,
but advance payment should have been collected , and the collection mechanism set up before
commissioning to ensure proper operations.
Conclusions:
Setting up a reliable operations base in each community is challenging, especially when these
communities may be used to free and poorly performing systems. This reliable base for operations is
essential for the platform microgrid model.

Identification
Survey
Design
Agreement
Installation &
Commission
Business Model
Maintenance &
Monitoring
Replication:
The local BA is involved in the project, ensuring some local ownership, combined with an operator in the
village itself. This sets up two levels of ownership for sustainable operations.
Learnings:
Mobile connectivity at the site was poor but the data logger had no local storage of data. For remote
sites, local data storage should be included.
Conclusions:
The operational model is especially key to the long term success of the platform microgrid and should be
ensured during the setup of this project. However, it should be expected that this takes time to complete.

Left: At the first site survey, discussions with community, SELCO and BA Right: PV and battery cabinet at the top of the hill

4 sites reached implementation stage, but many more
were surveyed. The majority of these sites surveyed
had systems and models designed and a few of them
came very close to being implemented. The learnings
from these attempts are therefore summarised here.
Sites surveyed
but not
implemented
Learnings from attempts

Extensive mapping and profiling was completed at Allapur in Gulbarga. Some of the processes learnt through this directly fed
into all other micro-grid projects as well some ‘model village’ projects. A custom built design tool for assessing wiring voltage
drops was also developed for this site. This level of detail was subsequently not required, but the assessment of DC wiring
design provided a good foundation for thumb rules later. The Allapur village was taken up 2 years later, and the extensive
data available made design of the systems straightforward.

Multiple sites were surveyed and many of these could not be converted due to political issues. Grid connection was often
promised to remote communities, but rarely supplied. Projects close to being converted fell through as soon as such a
promise was given. Arshingere (right) was one such example. Government notices to Paradeshiappanmutta (left) village
requesting the community to shift to a different location prevented another project from going through. The local SELCO
branch worked hard to get bank loans and solar home systems for this second site. This was an example of when SHS were
the more suitable option than a micro-grid which would have required more firm land ownership.

Learnings from non-implemented sites
Difficulty with entrepreneur model:
Because of the high capital costs, it is tough to find an
entrepreneur who is willing to take a loan for the system
and repay via collections from all the households within the
village. The model was attempted at various sites, notably
those in Dandeli, where three members of the village came
together to take a joint stake in the system. Despite the
relatively higher income and demand in this village, the lack
of complete consensus amongst the community lead a loss
of confidence from the entrepreneurs and then the project
being dropped.
Political factors:
Promises from the government or other development
organizations for the grid or more reasonable sources of
power offsets the interest of the community. Lack of clarity
over grid expansion is the most often stated difficulty
amongst micro-grid developers.
Unreliable grid:
Many villages have grid access but of very poor quality. A
microgrid could technically make the best use of existing
infrastructure to supplement grid supply. But using this
infrastructure is currently not possible. For the majority of
cases with unreliable grid, individual systems for each
household are more suitable than microgrids.
Energy expectations:
Grid access has created the expectation of unlimited power
for a low (and unstainable cost). Setting charges is
therefore based on affordability and costs but also
expectations. Where these expectations are unreasonable,
providing a satisfactory service is difficult.
Flexible financing:
In-house financing was available, with flexible interest rates
and duration. This opened up many different possibilities for
models tailored to the site requirements. Flexible financing
is essential if entrepreneur models are to succeed.

The project drew out some key learnings for implementing
microgrids and lead the team towards a certain process
and approach for microgrids. This approach is summarised
inside a separate document.
The key to this approach is a good understanding of the
local ecosystem and tailoring the model to fit, making the
best use of existing mechanisms and potential partners to
ensure long-term sustainability of each individual project.
Next steps:
1. Investigate further interventions for existing sites
such as MM Hills, NKGaddi and similar
2. Assist SELCO India in further implementation
3. Work on grid integration of micro-grids with
DISCOMs and government bodies to better
integrate centralised and decentralised
approaches.
Conclusion and
next steps

Micro-Grid Site Summaries

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