Rural Electrification in Deep Areas of India and Feasibility Study of Solar Home Systems

Abstract

The majority of the world’s population, primarily living in rural areas, lacks a number of facilities as a result of poverty and insufficient access to energy. The conditions necessary to satisfy basic needs and to promote economic and social development cannot be fulfilled. Most of the people without access to electricity live in thinly populated areas in developing countries and the extension of the grid to these areas are not feasible mainly due to economical reasons. Electricity is a desirable commodity in the majority of the areas, it should be noted that electricity is only one of the options to satisfy the energy needs of the rural population, along with other rural needs. Rural electrification is an integral component of poverty alleviation and rural growth of a nation. The availability of electricity can support advanced development methods such as tele-education and it could provide access to distant information and support for farmers and other entrepreneurs. Hence present study addresses electricity supply for deep rural and remote areas of India. A study of several aspects of rural electrification in India, the role of Government of India and the feasibility of Solar Home Systems is carried out in this thesis.