Sustainable Energy for Rural India: Bhudapada Village, a Case Study

This paper describes a project that aimed to develop a scalable, financially sustainable business model for provision of light to those living at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP).

Access to light is a serious development issue for those living at the BoP, especially in rural areas. The model will not only allow households to obtain light, but also create a new, viable business in the form of a micro-utility. This research work focuses on Bhudapada Village near Sambalpur in Orissa, India, which represents the worst case scenario in rural villages across India.

Bhudapada village has a network of self-help groups as well as a self-organized group of local entrepreneurs. Features of the recommended business model include:

• Three partners, namely, the Baharat Integrated Social Welfare Agency (BISWA), product manufacturers and the villagers;
• BISWA will lend money to self-help groups that will start and manage the microenterprise, which is consistent with their current operations;
• Self-help groups will purchase LED lights and solar battery chargers with rechargeable batteries of different sizes;
• Self-help groups will function as a micro-utility, and provide light to villagers using financing options suitable to their income level.