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January, 2016
Project highlights - connecting the world to clean and affordable solar Power
bijli: clean energy for all 3
executive summary
About 30% of India’s population (77 million households or around 360 million people) lack adequate access to electricity. Most have to rely on expensive and dirty kerosene lamps for lighting. A sustainable and scalable model is essential to allow hundreds of millions of people - in India and elsewhere in the world - to access affordable, low carbon, renewable energy. The Climate Group’s access to rural energy in India project, Bijli — Clean Energy for All, which was principally funded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery, helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions and simultaneously enhanced the lives of rural villagers in India by connecting them to cheaper, cleaner and more reliable renewable energy sources.
The Climate Group delivered this project by working with local energy partners. Bijli — Clean Energy for All has provided access to clean, affordable solar energy to over 65,000 people in two years (2014-2015) in the Indian states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
In addition to providing access to suitable renewable solar energy to rural consumers, Bijli – Clean Energy for All sought to identify sustainable off-grid energy business models, address the challenges of scaling up clean energy solutions to benefit large numbers of people by developing viable financial mechanisms, and also help Indian businesses and communities lead and benefit from the emerging global low carbon economy.
Through the Bijli project, The Climate Group has identified several sustainable off-grid business models with high potential for scale up. Debt financing has been found to be the primary unmet need in the off-grid sector. To build on our learning and help fill this critical financing gap, The Climate Group is seeking to create a debt fund to enable flexible and catalytic financing for the distributed renewable energy sector in India that will bridge the gap to mainstream financial institutions.
This report of the Bijli — Clean Energy for All project summarizes the milestones reached by The Climate Group over the past two years. It highlights the lessons learned in the off-grid space and the catalytic changes which the project and the Dutch public have made in transforming people’s lives in India. The report shows how Bijli — Clean Energy For All has helped us take important steps towards achieving our vision of a prosperous low carbon future for rural India.
HigHligHt acHievements
− Successful attainment of an ambitious target to reach more than 65,150 people through sustainable business models;
− Completion of consultations with over 220 stakeholders in the off-grid rural electrification space in India and across the world;
− Creation of an Energy Access Advisory Board to provide advisory support on the strategy;
− Selection of the four Indian states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh for project operations;
− Identification of delivery partners offering clean energy technologies based on solar power across three different business models (hand-held solar lanterns, home-lighting systems and community micro-grids), and completion of installations;
− Direct reduction of 317.10 tonnes of CO2e emissions per year through the project;
− Hosting of the first ever India Off grid Energy Summit;
− Creation of two energy access mobilization networks Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN) and South Asia Network for Clean Energy (StANCE);
− Production and dissemination of the report ‘Business case for Off-grid Energy in India’;
− Mobilization of partners and seed funding to establish a dedicated decentralized energy debt fund in India.
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 4 5
DetaileD milestones
We are reporting the progress of the project in five stages. Timings are indicative, as some of the below-mentioned activities took place across multiple stages.
stage 1 — Build partnerships and establish project evaluation
(april – november 2013)
Selecting the three states to benefit from the project and identifying local partners.
selection of states - After extensive consultations, the programs team selected the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in India in which to run the project. These states were chosen for a combination of factors – being representative of different levels of electrification/development, having a good number of delivery partners already operating in these states (hence potential for faster deployment), and providing the ability to demonstrate benefits of low carbon solutions to the government and influence favourable policy alternatives within these states.
Project strategy and identification of local partners - The Climate Group’s programs team consulted with more than 220 stakeholders in the off-grid rural electrification space in India and across theworld in the first six months of the project. As a result we developed a Project Strategy on how thefunding from the Dutch public would have a long-term and sustainable impact by reaching a greater
number of people in India. As a result we identified multiple delivery partners. These included, SELCO, ONergy, Mlinda Foundation and Indian Grameen Services.
off-grid energy challenge partners - Additionally, in order to identify innovative companies working in the off-grid energy space in India, the programs team advertised for a public call for proposals from micro-grid partners. Seven applicants were shortlisted for interviews. The Climate Group’s programs team, with technical assistance from the World Bank, interviewed all shortlisted delivery partners in New Delhi in November 2013. As a result, we selected Mera Gao Power, Simpa Networks, OMC Power and Nature Tech Infra as winners of the off-grid energy challenge and as partners for the Bijli project.
energy access advisory Board - We created an Energy Access Advisory Board (EAAB) comprising of Dr. S. P. Gon Chaudhuri (Ashden India Collective), Prof. Gerard George (Imperial College London), Dr. Kirit Parikh (IRADe) and Mr. Jeffrey Prins (DOEN Foundation), to advise and provide external comments and feedback on project strategy and approach.
Selecting clean energy technologies and shortlisting potential providers.
Selection of clean energy technologies - In selecting clean energy technologies, the programs team adopted a technology-neutral approach and evaluated solar, hydro, biomass and wind power technologies proposed by different delivery partners. Out of all potential renewable energy technologies analyzed, solar-powered electricity access had more potential for rapid scale-up in India due to geographic conditions and favorable state policies. As a result, delivery partners offering clean energy technologies based on solar power across three different business models (hand-held solar lanterns, home-lighting systems and community micro-grids) were shortlisted and selected for the project.
Building government support for the first phase of the program in india.
Building government support for the project - Mark Kenber (CEO, The Climate Group) met authorities from the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency and Jim Walker (Co-Founder and Director, The
< 1 million households
1-2 million households
2-5 million households
> 5 million households
goa
tamil naDuKerala
Jammu & KasHmir
HimacHalPraDesH
PunJaB
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raJastHan uttar PraDesH
BiHar
uttaraKHanD
guJarat maDHya PraDesH
cHHa
ttisg
arH
oDisHa
anDHraPraDesH
maHarasHtra
KarnataKa
siKKim
megHalaya
assam
arunacHalPraDesH
nagalan
maniPur
mizoramtriPuraWest
Bengal
neW DelHi
Source: Population totals from India Census 2011; Electrification data (source of lighting) from India Census 2011.
JHarKHanD
solar lights/lanterns (sl) solar home systems (sHs) solar micro-grids (smg)
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 6 7
through bijli, we connected over 65,000 PeoPle to clean, affordable energy in a sustainable way and demonstrated that this Project can be scaled uP to Provide energy access to millions of PeoPle
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 8 9
Climate Group) met representatives from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in New Delhi, to build support from state and national governments for this project. The feedback was positive and the authorities welcomed the Nationale Postcode Loterij and The Climate Group’s efforts to act as a catalyst of solutions to the off-grid electrification crisis in India. They expressed their support for the project’s research into enabling a better policy environment for the promotion of off-grid renewable energy. Following this, we officially partnered with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India to host India’s first ever Off-grid Energy Summit. More details are available in the communications update section.
engaging solution providers to support the capital and installation costs of the technologies, and encourage partners to match-fund the lottery’s contribution.
Membership - As part of the Bijli project, we co-founded with other 9 organizations, India’s first off-grid energy alliance called, Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN) and also seeded the South Asia Network for Clean Energy (StANCE). We also became members of knowledge sharing platforms of Asian Development Bank’s ‘Energy for All’ group, UN Sustainable Energy for All, UN Foundation’s ‘Energy Access Practitioner Network’ and World Bank Institute’s Telecom-Energy Initiative. By becoming part of these groups we not only increased access to key stakeholders from business, finance, government and NGO stakeholders working in the clean energy space on cooperation, innovation, exchange and project development, but also tapped into the communication channels of these platforms to increase visibility for the project and Nationale Postcode Loterij.
Engaging with innovative solution providers for scaling up — We established a ‘revolving funding’ platform with our partners to ensure that the funding to delivery partners is recycled for optimum value. We are in conversation with several other funding partners encouraging them to join the Bijli Catalytic Debt Fund and match-fund the contribution of the Nationale Postcode Loterij.
Working in partnership with the World Bank and others to identify innovative solutions for addressing challenges for scaling up off-grid electrification.
Financial research exercise with Goldman Sachs - We received additional funding support from Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets to conduct a financial research report in consultation with the World Bank and other partners, to understand various business models in the off-grid space and barriers to private investment in India. Overcoming these barriers through the project has the potential to open up floodgates for clean energy investment. The completed project report was published in February 2015.
stage 2 — install technologies in villages and stage two evaluations
(December 2013 – June 2014)
Working with our partners and installers in rural villages to install technologies.
Since the project’s inception, we are pleased to report that we have provided energy access to over 65,150 people in India. This figure in turn will grow in the years to come through the sustainable, revolving fund mechanism and the dedicated decentralised energy debt fund providing finance for further installations.
Partners technology delivery model/kw geography number of individuals reached1
SwitchON – Onergy Handheld Solar Lights
SwitchON works with grassroots partners and micro-entrepreneurs in an effort to support the value chain for solar products and service supply to rural areas. Bijli funding provides them with the requisite working capital and line of credit. The solar lighting and entertainment systems could range between 1 Watt (small light) to 200 Watts (home system).
Bankura, Bardhaman, Birbhum, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Hooghly, Howrah, Kolkata, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Purulia, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal
45, 370
Omnigrid Micropower Company (OMC)
Solar lanterns with detachable batteries
OMC provides power to telecom shelters in rural Uttar Pradesh from off-grid solar. The surplus power is supplied to a charging station that charges portable solar lamps that are delivered (at doorsteps) to the village communities for a nominal fee. Each solar power plant is 36 kW.
Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh 6,500
S3IDF – SELCO Solar Home Systems
S3IDF supports much needed consumer end financing for poor customers in rural Nandurbar. This operates in a pure micro-finance mode but with much lower interest rates (8%) than are typically found.
Nandurbar, Maharashtra 3800
Simpa Networks Solar Home Systems
Simpa participated in Bijli to try out different rental/fee-for-service models in rural Sitapur in order to reach out to poorer sections of the society. The hypothesis is that upfront payments restrict the service/product to the elite in the society and thus do not penetrate beyond the top 5% of the population.
Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh 1250
SunSaluter Low-cost solar tracker
SunSaluter is installing 100-150 W solar systems as a pilot to demonstrate the importance of solar trackers in improving efficiency of solar panels. The technology has the ability to track solar power throughout the day as well as provide potable water to rural communities.
Unnao, Uttar Pradesh and Bangalore
250
Mera Gao Power Micro-grids MGP operates pico-grids (240 W) in off-grid villages of Sitapur district supplying 6 hours of lighting and mobile charging services. It is the least expensive model with less than $2 a month cost to villagers.
Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh 2470
Naturetech Infrastructure
Microgrids Naturetech Infra provides clean energy access to rural villages in India by creating permanent Smart Solar AC Microgrid-based infrastructure with a load up to 200W per customer.
Unnao and Sitapur, , Uttar Pradesh
530
Mlinda Foundation Microgrids Mlinda Foundation forms community owned Joint-Liability groups (JLG) in West Bengal and supports the JLGs to access finance to purchase micro-grid based solar lighting.
West Bengal and Jharkhand 4,980
total number of customers reached 65,150
a detailed breakdown of the targets reached through various partners is presented below:
1 As of 20th September, 2015.
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 10 11
stage 3 – Promote project and enable favourable policy environment– publishing policy reports and mobilising support
(July 2014 – september 2014)
Preparation and publication of thought leadership policy reports on Diesel subsidy dependency, mapping, iseP/ict enabled energy transformation, states and regions analysis of clean revolution opportunities/challenges and Franchising
iseP india - Through consultations with various partners, we identified a potential role for the ICT sector in facilitating renewable energy powered access to energy. In this context, in partnership with The Climate Group’s ICTs for Sustainable Energy Partnership (ISEP) initiative supported by the UN Foundation, the team completed a scoping report to explore the intersections between the Information and Communications Technology sector and the decentralized clean energy sector to understand synergies and opportunities. This white paper has been circulated among stakeholders of the ISEP network, and is testimony to the Nationale Postcode Loterij’s efforts to identify innovative solutions for complex challenges.
Policy recommendations from the india off grid energy summit (ioges) - In August 2015, The Climate Group hosted India’s first off-grid energy summit to galvanize India’s fast-growing off-grid and decentralized renewable energy business community toward stabilization and growth.
Bringing together diverse participants from practitioners to investors and funders, the summit debated how to work within the larger renewable energy framework of the Government of India to deliver a collective roadmap for the future of off-grid energy in India. Following the summit, a series of policy recommendations were developed and sent to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. Some of the recommendations are highlighted below:
− The key ingredients of a sustainable business model are robust technology, affordable end-user financing and a good distribution. The key and critical element to achieve all these pre-requisites is PARTNERSHIPS. These could range from strong grassroots organizations, technology developers to local financing institutions that could build on comparative advantages of each other.
− There is a pivotal role for Non-Banking Financing Companies (NBFCs) to play within the DRE space. If given appropriate policy incentives and capital on softer terms, NBFCs can fund at least a few enterprises to bring them to a scale that is investable by mainstream banks like Yes Bank/RBL that could look into DRE projects/companies from a Priority Sector Lending (PSL) lens.
− There is a very strong need to innovate at the demand side of renewable energy technologies (particularly solar). It is recommended to bring innovation to develop ultra-efficient appliances that can work on the lowest possible wattage without compromising on the productive/lighting output.
− A national level pilot framework on DRE is highly recommended to establish legitimacy of entrepreneurs, supporting ecosystem building and ensuring end users benefits. These efforts should not be standalone but embedded within the national development and planning framework.
− The role of State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) should be relooked at with a dedicated DRE lens. Unless this is done, little can be expected from independent power producers/ DRE entrepreneurs to scale-up energy access.
inDia oFF-griD energy summit, 2015
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 12 13
stage 4 – Final evaluation to support global events programme and dissemination (september 2014 – December 2014)
Full external evaluation of the project covering social, economic and environmental outcomes and recommendations for scale up and replication in india and elsewhere
monitoring and evaluation - Through a competitive tendering process, Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International was selected to provide independent monitoring and evaluation services for the project and monitor success against intended outcomes. Qualitative and quantitative data collected by RTI International showcased how the contribution from the Dutch public has been spent and the difference it has made to the villagers in rural India.
Business case for off-grid energy in india report – The Climate Group, in partnership with Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets, published a flagship study to identify promising off-grid energy business models in India with the greatest potential for scale-up. This report highlighted the technologies available, key companies, future growth forecasts and potential for social and environmental impact. This flagship study aimed to boost entrepreneurial activity and increase private sector investment in the renewable off-grid energy sector.
stage 5 – exit strategy - global events programme & outreach (January 2015 – December 2015)
updates on scaling up - catalytic Bijli Debt Fund
revolving fund – Through the Bijli project, four specific and different financial mechanisms were tested at the enterprise level to promote access to electricity for low-income households (See figure below). While all the mechanisms are market driven, grant funding was deployed to create institutional mechanisms to ensure cyclical grant funding deployed with regards to one-time product delivery/ capital expenditure. In all cases, separate bank accounts were opened to monitor and manage revolving funds at the local level.
So far, Bijli has reached out to over 65,150 villagers directly. While these numbers are small in view of the current 360 million people in need, the initiative has had a catalytic impact on the sector by virtue of its financial and institutional innovation. Bijli funding has helped enterprises and non-profits try new models by setting up revolving funds which would not have been possible through commercial capital alone.
catalytic Bijli Debt Fund - Our experience and consultations in the off-grid energy sector in the past two years suggests that ‘lack of access to finance from private sector investors’ is one of the major barriers for scaling up off-grid electrification in rural India. Private capital is constantly seeking investment opportunities in the off-grid sector. However, due to a variety of factors, many opportunities in developing countries are often perceived as overly risky or uncertain for the majority of investors. Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies which are active in the off-grid sector are often underfunded as they typically are too small for commercial lending and too large for micro-financing. This nascent, but growing investment market is the area where catalytic debt financing can play a major role.
Most commercial banks are not willing to lend to energy enterprises even at higher interest rates because of higher perceived risks emanating from regulatory uncertainties and rapid depreciation of assets. Additionally, the ticket sizes of these loans are also too small for the banks to lend profitably.
13
Banks and other financial institutions, willing to lend to energy enterprises, have found it difficult and time consuming to get approval of projects. Due to these difficulties, most energy enterprises raise funds through a mixture of grants and equity. This has been highlighted amply in The Climate Group’s flagship report The Business Case for Off-Grid Energy in India report supported by the Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets. To cater to this need andcatalyze market growth, The Climate Group has been working on establishing a dedicated catalytic debt fund for decentralized renewable energy in India.
Communicating the project
We recognize that communicating findings and lessons learned is an important part of the project, to demonstrate that a clean, low carbon future is achievable and economically sustainable. Therefore, we communicated the project extensively through social media, campaigns and events.
Below are some of the highlights of our communications and events achievements for the Bijli project.
Dedicated webpages
A dedicated project web page has been developed and updated with all the project related information. We have released a large number of project-related news stories, blogs and info graphics on the website which are promoted via our influential, industry-leading social media channels (Twitter followers: 95,000+).
india newsletter
We informed the visitors of our website (20,000 per month) and our Twitter followers (over 95,000) with regular updates, Tweets and articles. We also provided them, as well as dedicated e-mail followers, with our regular India newsletter, containing news from The Climate Group’s activities in India, focusing mainly on news from the Bijli project.
off-grid animated video - We created a six-minute long animated video explaining the challenges and opportunities for off-grid energy in India with the primary focus on mobilizing private investment into this large market. The video was published on during The Climate Group’s 10th year Anniversary celebration event in London in April 2014 and is actively used in presentations by The Climate Group team in India, as well as via our online and social media channels.
We also produced a video with quotes from villagers and shots of the villages we worked with. This video was published in September 2015 during Climate Week NYC, organized by The Climate Group.
Webinars and e-discussion
The programs team participated in two World Bank webinars and one e-discussion, with extensive coverage about the project and the Nationale Postcode Loterij’s contribution.
media
We inform our media contacts on a regular basis on The Climate Group news, and obviously we informed the international media on Bijli project as well, focusing on India and Dutch media as well as global climate related media. We also organized a press trip in July 2015 to the project sites with Indian media, resulting in coverage in major India newspapers and media.
1
Off-Grid Energy
FINANCE
COmmIssIONEd by
off-gridenergy business models in india
BiJli Documentary
oFF-griD animateD viDeo
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 14 15
google Hangout
The Climate Group organized a live Google hangout on 5th June 2014 focusing on innovations and insights into providing access to clean energy to communities in India. Speakers included Debajit Palit (Associate Director, TERI), Piyush Jaju (CEO and Co-Founder, ONergy) and Ryan Levinson (CEO and Founder, SunFunder). The hangout was moderated by Amy Davidsen (US Executive Director, The Climate Group). The live hangout received huge interest and participation from across the globe (the Twitter reach of the event stood at 1,037,842). The moderator profiled the National Postcode Loterij with an overview including its status as ‘the world’s second largest private charity donor’, and acknowledged the Lottery’s valuable contribution to the success of the Bijli – Clean Energy for All program.
Boiling Point magazine
The Climate Group partnered with HEDON Household Energy Network to publish an issue of Boiling Point themed on Decentralized Energy and Climate Change, also featuring our Bijli – Clean energy for all project. Boiling Point is a quarterly practitioners› journal on energy access aimed at an off-line audience, reaching 15,000 off-line readers in over 100 countries. The majority of these readers do not have access to the internet and receive Boiling Point for free. A PDF of the magazine is free to download. As Guest Editors of this issue, The Climate Group was given the opportunity to showcase the Bijli – Clean Energy for All project through a theme article and news pages, with the aim that lessons from this initiative will be shared with Boiling Point readers worldwide. The issue, which was launched at CWNYC 2015, explores decentralized renewable energy initiatives from around the world with theme articles focused on projects in South Asia. The issue also included an interview with Jeff Prins from the DOEN Foundation.
Dutch campaign
To communicate the Bijli project in the Netherlands, The Climate Group worked together with Mediaxplain* (Nationale Postcode Loterij’s media agency) to create a campaign in The Netherlands. Through outdoor advertising, online editorial and bannering advertising and PR, the key results of the project and the fact that it is made possible by the Dutch participants of the Nationale Postcode Loterij, were communicated.
An outdoor spectacular was realized in The Hague, at the Spui (close to the political heart of the country), where for 10 days in October 2015, over 41,500 people a day saw a 5 meter long bus / tram stand converted into a Bijli village, complete with solar panels on the roof and LED lights at night. In total over 400,000 people saw the outdoor spectacular. (See page 16).
With banners and editorial pages on the websites of two major Dutch newspapers (Algemeen Dagblad and de Volkskrant) we informed readers about the Bijli project. Over 3.5 million impressions were realized, with some 200,000 people reading the content pages. The average time that people spent on the webpages was 2 minutes, long enough to read the text.
w w w . p o s t c o d e l o t e r i j . n l
The Climate Group en de Postcode Loterij
Buiten de grote steden in India zijn de meeste
mensen verstoken van elektriciteit. Wanneer het
donker wordt, moeten hele dorpen zich redden
met lampen die branden op kerosine of diesel.
Dat is gevaarlijk, duur en slecht voor het milieu.
The Climate Group bewijst dat het anders kan
met een project dat geheel door de Postcode
Loterij-deelnemers mogelijk is gemaakt.
Kwaliteit van levenProject Bijli (Hindi voor elektriciteit, maar ook
voor ‘empowerment’) geeft 50.000 plattelands-
bewoners verlichting die werkt op zonne-energie.
Het project laat zien dat de kwaliteit van leven
er sterk op vooruit gaat. Met betrouwbare, goed-
kope elektriciteit kunnen ondernemers meer
banen creëren, kunnen mensen ‘s avonds studeren
en wordt er voor een veilig gevoel gezorgd. De
volgende stap is het project opschalen, naar wat
al de ‘Indiase Schone Revolutie’ wordt genoemd.
Schone toekomstThe Climate Group is een internationale organisatie
die invloedrijke politici en topondernemers met
groene ideeën met elkaar verbindt. Project Bijli
is een schoolvoorbeeld van de manier waarop The
Climate Group werkt: klein beginnen, resul taten
boeken en daarmee vervolgens overheid, bedrijfs-
leven en maatschappelijke groeperingen over-
tuigen dat onze toekomst schoon én wel varend
kan zijn.
Dankzij u...Dankzij de deelnemers van de Postcode Loterij
heeft The Climate Group dit jaar een bijdrage
ontvangen van € 900.000,-. Door mee te spelen
met de Postcode Loterij steunt u het werk van
The Climate Group en 89 andere goede doelen.
Elke week leest u in deze krant over hun belang-
rijke werk. Kijk op www.postcodeloterij.nl
Samen maken we het verschil.
Foto
: Jar
nail S
ingh
/ Th
e Clim
ate G
roup
Bijvoorbeeld:
Kleine dorpen halen de zon in huis
Theme
BOILING POINT / 54 / 2008
Decentralised Energy and Climate Change
ISSUE 67 — 2015 £5
A PRACTITIONER’S JOURNAL ON HOUSEHOLD ENERGY, STOVES AND POVERTY REDUCTION
A publication of the
www.hedon.info
Catalysing decentralised renewable energy market transformation – p2
Powering Myanmar through solar home systems – p7
Modern design principles for investable village power projects – p14
Aggregating micro-grid and nano-grid projects to scale off-grid solar – p18
plus interviews with Akon Lighting Africa and DOEN Foundation, helplines, sponsor news and more...
Boiling Point magazine
DutcH aDvertisement
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 16 17
We hosted a number of international and local events, where the project was highlighted.
monaco gala event
The project was highlighted during The Climate Group’s 10th anniversary gala event in Monaco in March 2014 by our CEO Mark Kenber during his speech.
london 10 year anniversary event
During the 10th anniversary event in London in April 2014, The Climate Group’s India director Krishnan Pallassana introduced the project and the six-minute off-grid video to over 200 policymakers, politicians and corporate stakeholders gathered for the event.
climate Week nyc 2014
The sixth edition of Climate Week NYC was successfully hosted in September 2014 with a record 144 affiliate events. Climate Week NYC 2014 generated a record amount of media coverage, with more than 1,300 news stories reaching an estimated 1 billion people across 40 countries. On social media too, we hit more than 150 million impressions on Twitter – a 38-fold increase on last year.
Much of this unparalleled media response was generated by the many new commitments made throughout the Opening Day, which had over 300 attendees and more than 7,000 views on the website livestream. The Climate Group’s team profiled the Bijli – Clean Energy for All program at this day of Climate Week NYC with a networking lunch that included speeches from Marieke van Schaik, Managing Director of the Nationale Postcode Loterij and Namita Vikas, Senior President, YES Bank. We hosted a digital exhibition featured images and information on Bijli – Clean Energy for All throughout the day. A review of the event, including facts and figures, can be found online here.
Joint events in india with the embassy of the Kingdom of the netherlands
On 6 November 2014, in a ceremony that was hosted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New Delhi as part of an official trade visit, The Climate Group with the support of the Nationale Postcode Loterij, showcased the Off-Grid Energy Challenge winners of the Bijli - Clean Energy for All project. Earlier in 2014, the winners Mera Gao Power, Simpa Networks, OMC Power and Nature Tech Infrastructure, were recognized as promising business models in the off-grid sector and were awarded US$30,000 each to further rural energy access in India through sustainable and commercially viable off-grid “access to energy solutions”. On this occasion, Marieke van Schaik, Managing Director of the Nationale Postcode Loterij, addressed the audience via an exclusive video message acknowledging the Dutch Embassy, The Climate Group and the winners. The video message was widely appreciated and served as extra motivation to the winners. In the audience was the Dutch Ambassador to India, H.E. Alphons Stoelinga, around 300 Dutch and Indian CEOs and government officials, and Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
Earlier in the day, an exclusive CEO round table was also jointly organized by The Climate Group and the Netherlands Embassy. Over 20 well-known CEOs graced the round table. The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen chaired discussions around sustainable development, CSR and low carbon initiatives.KrisHnan Pallassana, inDia
Director, tHe climate grouP sPeaKing at tHe 10 year anniversary event
marieKe van scHaiK oF tHe DutcH PostcoDe lottery sPeaKing at climate WeeK 2014
lilianne Ploumen, DutcH minister For Foreign traDe anD DeveloPment cooPeration WitH alPHonsus s toelinga, DutcH amBassaDor to inDia at tHe event Jointly organizeD By tHe climate grouP.
oFF-griD energy cHallenge aWarDs, 2014
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 18 19
over 41,500 PeoPle walk Past this stand everyday
the hague, a bus/tram stand was converted into a bijli village, comPlete with solar Panels on the roof and led lights at night
village event in Bagnan, West Bengal to ignite solar revolution among villagers
On 8 November 2014, The Climate Group facilitated a village event in Bangalapur High School, Bagnan, West Bengal. Over 2,000 people attended the event to support the need for solar home lights in their households. With a vision to solarize hundreds of homes, a one-day village event was organized by SwitchON entitled ‘‘Let’s Join Hands for a Solar Revolution”, with the support of The Climate Group under Bijli – Clean Energy for All. The event helped to create awareness of climate change and solar energy, using folk art and creative mediums to reach out to the masses. A ‘sit and draw’ competition was organized for children, based on topics surrounding the solar initiative. This was followed by a panel discussion on the ‘Status of solar energy and its application in West Bengal’. At the end of the day, the winners of the painting competition were announced and each of them was awarded with a solar home light (Sun King Pro).
The event concluded with an energetic folk music concert by international folk artist Golam Fakir. Other prominent artists who performed were Shyam Khyapa, Sonatan Das and Mohan Tati. Connecting folk art to the celebration of bringing a solar revolution made an impact by engaging local people. The one-day event saw eminent VIPs from The Legislative Assembly and prominent dignitaries from Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), non-governmental organizations, government bodies, institutions and panchayats (district councils) in attendance.
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 20 21
6 The below findings were identified by the independent monitoring and evaluation partner, Research Triangle Institute
bijli: clean energy for all bijli: clean energy for all 22 23
Knowledge sharing workshop in nepal for initializing the south asia network for clean energy
The Climate Group, with support from the Nationale Postcode Loterij, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Department of International Development (UKAID), organized a workshop to initialize a South Asia Network for Clean Energy (StANCE) in Kathmandu, Nepal between 10 and 11 November, 2014. The overall objective of the two-day workshop was to bring together key stakeholders from the decentralized renewable energy space and agree on the overall charter of regional cooperation. StANCE hopes to become a formal ‘Network of Networks’ within the clean energy sector of South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with a participatory governance structure. With 31 participants in total, the agenda of the workshop varied from experience sharing by Indian Renewable Energy Associations and country level clean energy landscape mapping, to agreeing on an action plan for the new network. At the end of the workshop, a declaration was signed among the founding members to stand committed together to bridge the gap between policy and practice, by building on the synergies between partner organizations within the region.
india off-grid energy summit
On 19 August 2015, over 200 top off-grid energy practitioners, policymakers and entrepreneurs came together at India’s first ever India Off-Grid Energy Summit, which was organized by The Climate Group and introduced by our India Director Krishnan Pallassana. He laid out the achievements of our off-grid energy project Bijli - Clean Energy for All. The Nationale Postcode Loterij was highlighted as the principal supporter for the event.
The assembled experts agreed that sector collaboration is the most effective way to lead India’s flourishing renewables market, signifying another self-assured step toward global energy access for all. But while these benefits have translated into progress, by 2024 it is estimated that 70-75 million households will still not be grid-connected at all, as H.E. Alfons Stoelinga, Ambassador of Netherlands to India restated. In order to hit those targets, he warned we must redouble our collaborative efforts.
The power of collaboration was illustrated in the flesh, by H.E. Richard R. Verma, US Ambassador to India, who announced an initial call for proposals for the US-India $7.9 million PACEsetter Fund, a compelling bilateral cooperation to accelerate clean energy innovation in underserved communities. Summit activities continued on with closed-door workshops, where experts from the renewable off-grid sector focused on solutions and capacity building.
Bijli communications Week 2015Following the India Off-Grid Energy Summit, we organized a global communications week highlighting the Bijli- Clean Energy for All project, celebrating the fact that we reached over 50,000 people with clean energy. We published a series of well-read blogs on our website, an updated Bijli video, social media posts, and a Twitter Q&A with Jeffrey Prins of DOEN Foundation.
climate Week nyc 2015
Day five of Climate Week NYC 2015 saw a celebration of The Climate Group’s acclaimed ‘Bijli – Clean Energy for All’ project. Representatives from the United Nations and principal Bijli project funder, Nationale Postcode Loterij, were among guests at a high level reception. We distributed a press release to over 500 media representatives, resulting in a high level of coverage of the project online.
At CWNYC 2015, we saw over 120 affiliate events take place across the city. There were 439 million impressions on Twitter – three times more than last year’s extraordinary record and more than 1,270 news stories reached an estimated audience of 1.14 billion people across 48 countries, another new TCG record. This year’s Climate Week NYC helped create an unstoppable momentum towards a powerful deal in Paris and a positive, low carbon future for all.
During CWNYC 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said of the Bijli – Clean Energy for All project: “I welcome efforts that bring governments, businesses and communities together to build a sustainable future. Ensuring access to affordable and clean energy is an essential part of the Sustainable Development Goals. It can improve health while fighting climate change -- and point the way towards lives of dignity for all.»
marK KenBer, ceo oF tHe climate grouP WitH marieKe van scHaiK, managing Director oF tHe nationale PostcoDe loteriJ
inDia Documentary viDeo
“i welcome efforts that bring governments, businesses and communities together to build a sustainable future. ensuring access to affordable and clean energy is an essential Part of the sustainable develoPment goals. it can imProve health while fighting climate change - and Point the way towards lives of dignity for all.”un secretary-general ban ki-moon, on bijli
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conclusion
The journey over the past 30 months (2013-2015) with this project has been a huge learning curve where we not only exceeded the original project target but also continued working with our government and corporate partners in India to understand the barriers and opportunities in the off-grid market.
In particular we identified6 that:
− Access to energy is one of the basic requirements for escaping the poverty trap and, although the conventional grid has reached almost all villages in India, millions lack access to reliable and affordable lighting;
− Bijli-Clean Energy for All has successfully demonstrated that solar systems can meet basic energy needs, not only for the households that lack access to grid electricity, but also for those who do have such access;
− The different energy partners we worked with have different business models and each have been found to have unique strengths. However, different models are more suitable for different geographies and market segments;
− The role of customer financing to reduce the upfront cost of technologies is key to scale-up of solar systems;
− Lack of access to debt finance for off-grid energy entrepreneurs is a key barrier for scaling off-grid energy access in India;
− In general, a high level of customer service satisfaction was found in operation and maintenance of solar equipment across all installations;
− Bijli-Clean Energy for All project found to significantly offset the use of kerosene and grid electricity as primary energy source for lighting;
− Popularity of solar lighting even in areas with grid connectivity indicates a high potential consumer base and market size for all energy partners;
− Though highly varied across business models, statistically significant reduction in GHG emissions were found from reduced use of non-solar energy sources through the project;
− There was significant increase in self-reported study hours (1 to 2 hours every day) & convenience of studying was reported by families as an important additional benefit of energy access.
We look forward to creating the dedicated Bijli Catalytic Debt Fund in India and we hope to be a catalyst to identifying sustainable off-grid business models and mobilizing private investment for off-grid projects through innovative financing mechanisms, with the ultimate aim of stimulating India’s Clean Revolution. The Climate Group extends sincere thanks to the Nationale Postcode Loterij and the Dutch public for their extremely generous financial support to help India towards a prosperous, low carbon future through Bijli-Clean Energy for All.
6 The below findings were identified by the independent monitoring and evaluation partner, Research Triangle Institute
about the climate grouP
the climate group is an award-winning, international non-profit with offices in greater china, north america, india and europe. our goal is to help leaders transition to a prosperous low carbon economy, driven by the rapid scale-up of clean and renewable energy.
We work in partnership with the world’s most influential business, state, regional, finance and civil society leaders. For over a decade we have worked to demonstrate the economic and business case for the low carbon economy, and create the political conditions necessary for a strong global framework that addresses climate risks and maximizes climate opportunities.
the global climate deal which has been struck at the Paris coP represents a new beginning: the chance to accelerate our low carbon future. We are working with governments, businesses and investors to implement the Paris agreement, holding them to account where appropriate through reporting mechanisms, and ensuring we bend the emissions curve downwards to secure a thriving, clean economy for all.
contact
david mole
Head of Philanthropy
www.theclimategroup.org
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