Off-grid rural electrification in Karnataka state of India: Technology options, modeling method

Abstract

Abstract- Energy deficiency is one of the key enigmas impacting the livelihood of millions of poverty stricken people throughout the world. It is quite evident that electrification of rural areas can improve the standard of education, health conditions, living and empowering the youth of the nearby population. Census of India reveals that about 19706 of numbers of villages are still unelectrified in the state. Electrification of these villages/hamlets of remote hills using renewable energy resources in off-grid mode is a feasible option compared to uneconomical grid extension. The mean annual daily solar radiation of 4.5-7 kWh/m2/day through the year,solar radiation with 300 sunny days in a year, enormous forest foliage, crop residue, and animal waste and mean annual wind speed of 4.5-5.4m/s in some places of the state. The present study comprises the utilization of single technology based system such as small hydro, biomass, biogas, solar and small wind turbines etc. and also aggregated technology, depending on the availability of the resources in the present locality. A methodological framework has been established to avail the demand and resources assessment of the area.


Keywords: Single technology based system, Integrated Renewable energy system, hybrid energy system and small hydro power system.