Giving Compass' Take:

• The author explains in detail the challenges Indians have in accessing reliable electricity and the potential solutions for eliminating energy poverty in India. 

• How can philanthropists work with the development sector to increase funding mechanisms that will go toward increasing energy access? 

• Read about what needs to be done to invest in access to energy. 

What is ‘Energy Poverty’ and how does it affect the poor in India?

It is believed that up to 400 million people in India today don’t have access to reliable electricity. This accounts for one third of the Indian population. While we’ve made remarkable progress in bringing electrical power to our people over the last many decades, it is still unacceptable that one in every three people in India do not have access to electricity.

How do you think the Indian government is managing the problem?

The government of India is aware of this problem and has been acting upon it.  There has been steady progress in bringing electricity to more and more people, but too many people are still left out.

Can alternative energy be a solution for universal access to energy?

Power grids can solve the energy access problems, but they can be sub-optimal as the whole grid electricity production process is highly polluting, expensive, and inefficient with average technical losses of up to 30 percent during transmission. The state electricity boards have been accumulating losses for years.

There are alternatives that are less expensive, more immediate, and comparatively less harmful. A good alternative energy could be solar power, especially distributed solar power.

What are the major challenges in implementing the innovative solar solutions?

The biggest challenges in implementing any innovative solution are finance, technology, human resource, and policy. All of these together or in parts can either facilitate or impede the success of the solution. Solar solutions are no different.

What role does finance and policy play in the success of solar solutions?

Solar solutions have a characteristic associated with them. While the actual running costs are very low, the biggest costs are incurred up front during the installation stage. We need different and innovative payment models for this.

Read the full article about energy poverty in India by Krishan Dhawan at avpn