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Energy systems across the world are becoming localized, decarbonized, and digitalized. This is the era of local energy system integrating heat, power, and transport. Local energy system refers to arrangements that operate locally at a scale less than the traditional centralized model to maximize social, economic, environmental benefits for people or organization in a specific geographical area. Beyond decarbonization, local energy systems are expected to provide a wide range of other benefits such as alleviating fuel poverty, community income generation. The increase in the deployment of local energy systems has been the subject of intensive research and development in recent era. This article aims to review the recent local energy system developments in India and United Kingdom. Specifically, this will focus on local energy system taxonomy, landscape, challenges, pilot projects, policies, energy storage technologies in India and United Kingdom. Further, this work will also discuss how local energy system can be used for electrification of rural India. Thus, this work will put forward the latest developments of local energy system in a developed and developing country. This work will conclude by presenting the way forward for local energy system adoption and development in India and United Kingdom. It is expected that this work will help power and energy system researchers to track down the recent developments and landscape, and lessons of local energy system. This article is categorized under:Sustainable Energy > Other RenewablesClimate and Environment > Net Zero Planning and DecarbonizationEnergy and Power Systems > Energy Infrastructure [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The welfare impacts of electrification are well documented in the literature, including the effects of electricity on school enrolment. However, the spillover effects of electrification on children's achievement levels are scarce. We use three complementary but distinct econometric models to establish a causal relationship between electrification and test scores using nationally representative household panel data from India. We find positive results irrespective of the choice of econometric model, and these results seem to be mediated by changing time‐use patterns of children with access to electricity. We first exploit the plausibly exogenous variation in access to electricity due to a universal electrification program in the state of West Bengal in India and we find positive effects of electrification on children's test scores. By age group, we find that younger cohorts benefit more in terms of their reading scores than older cohorts. Then, to ascertain external validity of these results, we replicate them over a nationally representative sample using fixed effects and instrumental variables estimation and find similar results. At the intensive margin, we find that access to more hours of electricity positively affects test scores. We identify an increase in time spent by children on study‐related activities as the potential channel for these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microgrids system consisting of single or multiple energy resources and storage is used to provide electricity to remote rural areas. Subsequently, they can be worked in both grid-connected and islanded modes. Microgrids can provide stable energy solutions to areas where grid extension is either costly or not feasible. The system's long-term economic stability and sustainability must be considered throughout the microgrid's design. Renewable energy sources have a variety of objectives and possible restrictions. The current plan suggests a rural microgrid with integrated solar, diesel, and battery systems. The proposed microgrid for the rural area of Uttarakhand (India) is given a techno-economic and feasibility analysis. For the hilly region of India, a standalone microgrid is created to handle the home peak load of 13kW. Moth flam optimization (MFO) is utilized to optimize the proposed energy framework, and the results are compared with those of a genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The optimal hybrid system's net current and energy costs are calculated to be $58372.00, with the cost of energy per unit being $0.14/kWh. Sensitivity analysis and robustness viability have been performed for the configuration. The finding suggested that the energy framework using MFO is 18% and 16% less expensive than GA and PSO, respectively. This research adds new direction to critical sustainable development among developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

World's large population lives in remote areas where electricity is unavailable or unreliable supply. For electricity supply, a low‐cost, minimum‐emission hybrid renewable energy system is necessary due to power shortages or unavailability, high electricity costs, and large greenhouse gas emissions. The current work develops a standalone hybrid power generating system and assesses its techno‐economic feasibility for rural sites in the Lucknow area of Northern India. To address the electric load requirement, the proposed work includes a system that includes a solar photovoltaic (SPV) module, a lead‐acid battery, a wind turbine (WT), and a diesel generator (DG). The system is sized and optimized using the hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software. In this off‐grid system, the proposed system is intended for a home load need of 52.00 kWh/day with a peak of 11.04 kW. The technical and financial specifications are drawn from the local Indian market for the proposed standalone system. In this article, seven different resource combinations are investigated. A combination of 13 kW DG, 16 kW SPV, 50 kWh lead‐acid battery, 9 kW inverter, and 4 kW WT produces the best optimal system. With a 98.4% renewable portion, the cost of energy and total net present cost are $0.162/kWh and $57 390, respectively. The sensitivity analysis inflation and discount rates are 5.5% and 8%, respectively. As a consequence of the findings, we can conclude that the suggested standalone system is more cost‐effective for rural areas in Northern India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power demand of isolated villages where on‐grid power supply is not economical can be met by standalone renewable energy system. Hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) considered in the current study involves photo‐voltaic, wind turbine, diesel generator, and battery. In the present study, the demand side energy management methods are used for energy management. The load shifting and strategic conservation methods are used. The energy management schemes are applied in the stage of load estimation. It is observed in the analysis that, the net present cost (NPC) of $55 263 is reduced to $34 009 with the application of demand side energy management strategies. The two control strategies, load‐following and predictive‐dispatch strategy are incorporated. The three types of batteries like lead‐acid, lithium‐ion, and zinc‐bromide are integrated, one at a time, for analysis. The analysis results in the optimal HRES configuration solution with the combination of both load shifting and strategic conservation techniques of demand side energy management. The NPC is reduced by 37% in comparison with the HRES without the application of energy management methods. The zinc‐bromide battery integrated HRES configuration through predictive dispatch control strategy with the application of demand side energy management schemes results in optimal solution for electrification of cluster of villages located in Uralagallu panchayat, Sagar Taluk, Shivamogga District, Karnataka, India. To the similar kind of geographical condition areas, the same HRES configuration with similar approach can be extended for electrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating a group of generation units and loads into a microgrid improves power supply sustainability, decreases greenhouse gas emissions, and lowers generating costs. However, this integration necessitates the development of an improved energy management system. The microgrid distributes electricity among energy resources to optimize either the generating cost or the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, or both at the same time. The low-cost energy supply requires a precise cost model for each energy component. This article aims to develop the generation cost model that incorporates renewable energy to lower the total operating cost and curb greenhouse gas emissions. The suggested optimization problem deals with the low-cost energy solution for the rural area of India. The proposed system used particle swarm optimization, a global optimization strategy, in the study. Minimum cost and emission scenarios are objective issues while operating with tolerable emissions, and costs are multi-objective of the present study. The outcomes of the scenarios are used to provide viable optimized solutions to multi-objective problems using the optimization technique. Finally, a battery bank's potential to compensate for generation shortages while minimizing emissions is being studied. The study is performed on a microgrid comprising photovoltaic PV, diesel generator, battery, wind turbine, and an Indian rural scenario load profile. The finding suggested that the optimal configuration has a total net cost of operation is $59,195.61. The per-unit cost of energy is 0.20 $/kWh with a saving of CO 2 emission is 5994 kg/year. This modular feasibility analysis demonstrates that utilizing a hybrid energy system to power the planning is cost-effective. This research is anticipated to aid rural communities and other stakeholders in making well-informed decisions throughout the planning stages of similar initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas emissions and PM2.5 pollution from vehicular exhausts and the consequent negative externalities underline the urgency of investigating low-carbon pathways for the freight sector. This paper undertakes a comprehensive analysis to determine the implications of a modal shift in the freight sector for the environment, energy systems and the economy. Stakeholder consultations are used to develop the qualitative narratives that are further used to set the parameters in energy-economy optimization models for deriving quantitative pathways. Our analysis includes four scenarios: Current Policy (CPS), Road Focused (FROAD), Rail Technology (TRAIL) and Harmonized Multimodal (HMML). The HMML scenario follows a balanced approach harmonizing the twin goals of reducing imported fuels and carbon emissions that can simultaneously assist in achieving development and decarbonization targets. Our results show that the HMML scenario based on the multimodal approach of creating a level playing field for all modes can reduce fossil fuel imports by 87.6% and CO 2 emissions by 96%, relative to CPS in 2050. The HMML scenario also envisages significant macroeconomic benefits – the cost of logistics as a percentage of GDP falls to 11%, and there are cumulative foreign exchange savings of 3.8 trillion USD from 2016 to 2050. However, electrification, the leading technology for the respective decarbonizing modes, will need policies that enhance research and innovation on batteries and infrastructure investments for charging along national and state highways. The main policy insight from our analysis is that multimodal logistics policy needs to be designed in alignment with clean energy-based electrification policy and national rail plans so that uniform rules from the origin govern all modes to the destination of goods transport. • Modelling energy economy to analyse implications of modal shift. • Combining stakeholder consultations with quantitative evaluations. • Multimodal approach achieves development and mitigation goals at the same time. • Over 80% of savings on imports of fossil fuels are possible by 2050 relative to the current policy scenario. • Cumulative foreign exchange savings of 3.8 trillion USD can be achieved from 2016 to 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the dynamics of rural electrification in India and explores the transition to a complementary convergence of decentralised and centralised electricity systems for sustainable rural electricity services. A novel socio-technical framework of analysis for assessment of cases of rural electricity systems is developed and applied in Indian villages to explore the interplays of different elements of rural electricity systems, enabling and hindering factors, and actors and institutions that affect the governance and sustenance of rural electrification. A mixed research method, along with document analysis, was applied to study the socio-technical perspectives, using 21 indicators representing nine different interplays of elements of rural electricity systems. The analysis reveals there is a significant effect of governance on technology performance, which in turn affects customer practices. There is also a significant correlation between customer practices and governance. Policy enablers along with strong institutions and actors - both at the subnational and local level - are key drivers to effective governance. Furthermore, irrespective of centralised or decentralised technology, adequacy and reliability of electricity supply and effective customer service delivery at the local level are important i.e., both supply reliability and quality, and customer service quality are equally important. The findings have clear policy implications for the governance of the electricity sector in India. • A novel sociotechnical framework for assessing village electrification is developed. • Novel framework tests interplays of various elements of the electricity system. • There is a significant correlation between governance & performance of technology. • There is also a significant effect of technology performance on customer practices. • Policy enablers, strong institutions & actors are drivers to effective governance. • A mix of decentralised & centralised electric system will have a better outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural and remote area electrification is of grave concern around the globe. Therefore, well-planned and cost-effective microgrids integrating renewable energy sources are emerging as effective solutions. However, the microgrid's stable operation and its future deployment is affected by the perturbations caused due to uncertainity in renewable sources, dependency on the battery state of charge, and load variation. So, considering the possible concerns affecting the planning and development of a microgrid for any given region, this paper proposes a comprehensive performance assessment of the hybrid residential microgrid based on a load model of Kibber village in Himachal Pradesh, India. The proposed approach is divided into three parts for the best planning of microgrids. Firstly, the MATLAB–Simulink software technically analyzes the system performance under perturbations considering the available renewable sources. Secondly, an economic analysis using HOMER Pro software is done to examine the cost-effectiveness of the proposed microgrid model through the simulation of electrical loads for Kibber village, considering the available renewable sources. Lastly, a real-time analysis of the proposed prototype of programmable logic controller-based hardware test bench has been developed, aiming for future regional microgrid deployment. System voltage, frequency, power shared, percentage of load met, energy cost, available renewable energy resource, etc. have been considered for validating the proposed controller. The proposed comprehensive assessment of the microgrid model is reproducible with necessary modifications for any geographical location. It will be helpful for its future deployment aiming at rural and remote electrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the paper is on the renewable energy-based rural electrification system. Two concepts have been used in finding solutions to the issues related to this micro-grid system. The first is the best fitted model of hybrid configuration system, which utilizes village-owned resources, such as abundant biomass and solar irradiation. The second is that observed improved performance in terms of system sizing, techno-economic performance, and environmental stability of the hybrid model over different power storage backup media. The practical aspects and suggestion over the hybrid village electrification system have been presented through a case study of Korkadu village, Puducherry state, India. A comparative analysis of the hybrid model has been made with different power storage backup systems, namely the solid-state battery (lead acid-ASM battery, Li-ion-ASM battery) and flow battery (Redflow ZBM2 battery) arrangement. The result revealed hybrid rural electrification system with LI battery as the most favourable choice of the electrification system to the village, considering that its economic factor includes the total net present cost, cost of energy are found to be lowest. The technical parameters of power production capacity surface and battery state of charge were observed to be optimum with reduction in the environmental pollution parameter (GHS emission) value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Panchayat means powering the rural Indian households by harnessing the renewable sources of energy. India has set target of achieving Net-Zero emission by 2070 and the set target cannot be achieved without the inclusion of the rural households as more than half of our country population lives in rural areas. Rural electrification is considered the backbone of the rural economy but it has come up with many challenges such as availability of 24x7 power supply, power wastages due to subsidized electricity and losses to State Discoms. The paper illustrates the case study of energy consumption pattern of villages Amro, Kochwa and Budgada and it proposes a solution to provide reliable power using PV-micro-grid and solar roof top installation on public buildings.Further, detail sizing (battery, inverter, panels) of the proposed PV system to meet the energy demand (1196.91 kWh/day) of the considered villages is also determined. The economic analysis is also shown in terms of payback period to reflect the project feasibility. The paper also illustrates the energy conservation measures to be taken up in the rural households to achieve the energy savings by use of energy-efficient appliances. In a nutshell, this paper will be helpful to the power system planners and decision makers for possible implementation of Rural Electrification project which has a vital role in achieving Net-Zero emissions and sustainable development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid population growth coupled with urbanization and industrialization are some of the critical challenges of Indian energy sector. Simultaneously India's fossil fuel dominated power sector is a big source of carbon emission. Increasing renewable power is a mission of India. Government has also a mission for maximum rural electrification. India has widely varying geographical topography including high mountains and a long coastal line etc. Extending the Indian national grid to remote poor villages may not be techno-economically feasible. Instead introducing decentralized hybrid renewable power to remote poor villages of India may help inclusive growth. This study explores the feasibility of such options with a few case studies. Including some other energy utilities in addition to power may be an even better support to poor villagers. A few case studies on such efficient polygeneration are also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The work done in this paper provides the solutions for power access to rural and remote areas in developing nations. • The proposed affordable solution offers many advantages over the traditional central inverters. It provides more output power as compared to traditional central inverters under shading and dusting conditions. The results are validated through experimental investigation with regard to Indian weather conditions. • The proposed solution presents an optimal sizing strategy for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) for the low power rural household application. In literature, this kind of solution is yet not reported which makes this work novel. • This work presents the customized design of solar microinverter based PV System for different power provisioning levels for rural EWS houses. The proposed solution has an added advantage of addition of load in future without change in existing infrastructure. Reliable power supply is the key requirement for developing nations. Most of these nations are trying to modernize the rural lives by electrification in remote areas. Access to electricity is a bare requirement in future ages. This paper discusses the challenges faced by the utility companies in ensuring sustained electricity access to the new consumers followed by the various solutions. The techno – economic aspects of the proposed solution is validated by the experimental study. Based on the results, an optimal low-cost design is proposed in order for everyone to fulfil the minimum power needs. The paper presents an optimal size strategy for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) for the low power rural household application. The solar microinverter based PV System has been designed based on the daily load needs for one of the proposed layout plans of the (Gramin) Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna adopted by Government of India. The proposed designs are also applicable for other developing nations. The proposed micro-inverter has been tested under different operating conditions and experimental validation proves its superiority over other inverter types, particularly for a low power application, as is the case for a typical low-income rural household. Economic considerations such as payback period has also been evaluated in this study. In addition, the proposed microinverter technology has also been tested in terms of power quality parameters under various operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews and assesses India's energy policy in the context of its commitment to achieve the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. It emphasizes the central role of green electrification, particularly through the expansion of solar power capacity. It discusses policies outside the energy sector that need to be part of a strategy of achieving this target, including the use of information technology, infrastructure development, and transportation. Furthermore, it examines possible policy options for accelerating the target date to 2050, especially with the use of carbon capture to manage the transition from the current heavy use of coal. The paper also discusses the possible financial and growth implications of various strategy options, arguing that feasible external financing commitments can allow India to achieve net-zero goals without sacrificing economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Strong linkages between niche, regime and landscape are observed across four decades in India. • Institutional innovations were critical in facilitating early developments of off-grid solar. • Actors influence and are influenced by the prevailing narratives during each phase. • While initial developments were pushed by governments, more recent efforts are coming from private actors including civil society and policy think tanks. • Reimagination of off-grid solar towards ' beyond lighting ' is taking place in wake of total electrification in India. Decentralized renewables are critical for rural electrification in many countries in the Global South. As a case study of the development of decentralized renewables, we trace the evolution of India's off-grid solar sector from 1980 through 2020. We apply the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) to highlight interactions across three levels of actors, with additional attention to how their actions were shaped by evolving policy narratives. We find that the national government initiated the development of off-grid solar in the early 1980s due to concerns about energy security and rural poverty. The sector was then supported by international agencies focused on sustainable development, and more recently non-state players and private enterprise emerged as the innovators. This case study makes two more general contributions to the MLP literature. Empirically, it shows how regime actors can deliberately create niches. Theoretically, it shows how narrative analysis can be integrated into the MLP to shed light on the dynamics of energy transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effective utilisation of available renewable resources in rural region of Bihar for sustainable rural electrification. • Design of optimal model of on-grid as well as off-grid hybrid configuration of active distribution network (ADN) on integration of PV/biomass resources. • A comparative assessment for effective performance and management of produced energy of both on-grid as well as off-grid active distribution network has been done. • A proper investigation and assessment of proposed active distribution network on several techno-economic attributes has been performed. • Analysis of feasibility and pertinency of active distribution network for selected rural region on environmental concerns has been also done. • Impact of various dependent variable assessment on cost of energy and total net present cost for the practicality of proposed active distribution network has been done. Majority of rural areas in India have already been electrified, yet the disparity between demand and supply is considerably higher and broadened due to which nation's rapid financial growth as well as rising standards of living in both the urban as well as rural areas. Hence, the utilisation of renewable resources is rising steadily for the mitigation of such energy crisis. It has become necessity to use a hybrid sustainable energy system by exploiting the strengths of each source in combination with one another to minimise the dependence on the congested power grid. For the efficient use of readily available renewable energy and sustainable rural electrification, this study proposes an effective Active Distribution Network (ADN). A comprehensive techno-economic analysis has been performed on the design of an ADN system that includes the exploitation of solar and biomass energy as sources of power for sustainable rural electrification. In the proposed work, performance assessment elements such as output responses, component costs, feasibility and sensitivity of the project, emissions, inflation rate, and changing the pricing of integrant have been taken into consideration and analysed. Results shows the improvement in rural electrical system while lowering system energy costs along with consideration of environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Techno-economic analysis of hybrid solar-wind-biomass-battery system is proposed. • Numerical modelling and varied operational scenarios for the system are formulated. • Evaluating system feasibility across various power loss probabilities is conducted. • Giza Pyramids construction outperformed by $177 saving and 8% less simulation time. The economical electrification of rural settlements extensively utilizes renewable energy sources. In recent years, the deployment of solar photovoltaic, wind turbine, and biomass gasifier-based power generation technologies for electricity accessibility in remote regions has received greater prominence. This paper presents an optimal component design of a hybrid solar PV-wind and battery system along with a biomass gasifier to provide continuous electricity for rural communities of Uttarakhand, India. In this study, a recently developed population-based giza pyramids construction (GPC) methodology is applied to determine the optimal component sizing. The findings of the GPC method are contrasted with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) methodology to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method. The annualized system cost and levelized cost of energy of the hybrid renewable energy system have been minimized subject to technical reliability indicators such as loss of power supply probability and renewable fraction. Moreover, a systematic exploration of the system has been conducted to assess its optimal feasibility across different values of power loss probability ranging from (0% to 4%). The simulation indicates that the proposed method adeptly identifies globally optimal values, leading to a $177 decrease in annual cost and 8% reduction in average simulation time compared to PSO. The research reveals that the balanced point (relative attainment), where system reliability and cost-effectiveness intersect optimally, is achieved at a 3% power loss level, resulting in the most significant cost reduction of $199 compared to other probability levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery-electric vehicles (BEV) have emerged as a favoured technology solution to mitigate transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in many non-Annex 1 countries, including India. GHG mitigation potentials of electric 4-wheelers in India depend critically on when and where they are charged: 40% reduction in the north-eastern states and more than 15% increase in the eastern/western regions today, with higher overall GHGs emitted when charged overnight and in the summer. Self-charging gasoline-electric hybrids can lead to 33% GHG reductions, though they haven't been fully considered a mitigation option in India. Electric 2-wheelers can already enable a 20% reduction in GHG emissions given their small battery size and superior efficiency. India's electrification plan demands up to 125GWh of annual battery capacities by 2030, nearly 10% of projected worldwide productions. India requires a phased electrification with a near-term focus on 2-wheelers and a clear trajectory to phase-out coal-power for an organised mobility transition. India's plans to electrify transport is complicated by its reliance on coal-power. Here the authors call for diverse policy and technology solutions, including a focus on cleaner grids, electric 2-wheelers, and hybrid 4-wheelers in the near-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of integrated hybrid renewable energy systems (IHRES) is gaining attention for electrification of rural areas where on‐grid electricity supply is uneconomical. From this point of view, the technical and economic feasibility analysis is carried out for a standalone IHRES in a remote area of Malnad region in Karnataka, India. Solar and wind energy are the prominent renewable resources available in the selected area for study. In the present study, lithium‐ion, lead‐acid and zinc‐bromide batteries effect on "PV‐WT‐DG‐Battery" system is examined and compared. The control strategies used in the study are "load following (LF)" and "predictive dispatch (PD)." The simulation results reveal that the "cost of energy (COE)" and "net present cost (NPC)" are found to be low in zinc‐bromide batterybased system with "PD control strategy." The NPC and COE are found to be $55 262 and $0.35 per kWh for optimal system. Zinc‐bromide batteries are best suited for remote electrification with less load demand. The sensitivity analysis shows that there is a minimal effect on the performance of the planned IHRES upon variation in the "inflation rate," "discount rate," and "diesel price." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of electricity in formation and performance of rural non-farm entrepreneurial ventures is widely debated. This study aims to understand how, in India, access to household electricity impacts rural households' decisions to take up entrepreneurial activities, operated within household premises. A panel dataset of nearly twenty thousand rural households carried out in the years 2004–05 and 2011–12 has been used to explore the impact of access to electricity on participation in rural non-farm enterprises using panel fixed-effects logit models. Further, the role of electricity access on earnings of non-farm enterprises is studied using Heckman two-stage selection models. It is concluded that electricity has a positive effect on the households' decision to establish non-farm enterprises operating within home premises. It is also found that, in the presence of the household electricity access, the income from business increases by 35.2% on an average. Upon extending the analysis to different groups of states, similar outcomes are observed for relatively rich states, states with relatively higher levels of rural electrification and states with relatively lower rates of rural electrification. In case of relatively poorer states, access to electricity enables a household to participate in the non-farm business sector but does not seem to have a statistically significant impact on their business income. • Access to electricity enables participation in home-based non-farm businesses in rural India. • Access to electricity increases earnings from such businesses, enhancing rural livelihood opportunities. • These results are robust across states with different electrification rates and relatively richer states. • In poorer states, electricity access enables participation in non-farm business, but has insignificant effect on earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the factors affecting access to clean cooking fuel among rural Indian households during the COVID-19 outbreak, based on World Bank's rural impact survey, covering 2731 rural households. Our analysis shows a significant decline in access to clean fuel among rural households from 35% in 2018 i.e. before COVID-19 to 19.7% during the COVID-19 pandemic. This implies that in order to meet their cooking needs, many rural households have switched from conventional fuels, which have numerous health and environmental concerns. The association between states and socio-demographic profiles of rural households with access to sources of cooking fuel shows a significant difference. The analysis results further indicate that socio-demographic characteristics and asset holdings of the rural households are the key factors that determine access to clean cooking fuel during COVID-19. Among the socio-demographic variables, age, gender, family size, social category, and income level are estimated to be significant factors that affect the access to clean fuel for cooking. Similarly, ownership of assets such as exclusive kitchen room, refrigerator, pressure cooker, television, and furniture are significant factors affecting access to clean cooking fuel among Indian rural households. Additionally, this study provides policy insights on developing mechanisms to ensure that rural households have an access to clean cooking fuel during crisis situations such as COVID-19. [Display omitted] • COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the access to clean cooking fuel among the rural households. • Only 19.7% of rural households have reported access to clean cooking fuels, which declined during COVID-19 lockdown • The majority of rural households use conventional sources of cooking fuels, which further increased during COVID-19 outbreak • Socio-demographic characteristics and asset holdings are determining factors on access to clean cooking fuel • A targeted strategy for promoting clean cooking fuel in rural India is essential [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonizing the vitality area and diminishing carbon discharges to confine environmental change are the primary worries of twenty-first century. Renewable energy and efficiency interventions, supported by rapid electrification, will provide more than 90% of the reducing C O 2 emissions planned by 2050. By 2050, the transition to renewable energy will also increase the world's gross domestic product by 2.5% and the number of jobs by 0.2%.Conventional Poly crystalline roof top solar PV has an efficiency of 22.7%. Tropic of cancer passes through eight states of India, The temperature in summers varies from 40 to 50 ∘ C which results in decrease in efficiency of solar panel. So we require efficient MPPT controllers to overcome this gap. In Ghaziabad, the experimental test is performed with latitude of 28, 6692 (N) and longitude 77, 4538 (E). Solar PV simulator is designed using LabVIEW software. Effect of variations of temperature, irradiations, series resistance and shunt resistance on solar panel has been studied. Simulated results are tested using experimental setup with the help of arduino interfaced LabVIEW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper mainly deals with the optimum design and performance of the hybrid renewable electrification system for remote villages of southern part of India. Constructed and simulated a hybrid renewable energy (HRE) system, which was consists of fully village owned renewable resources such as solar, wind and biomass energies. Through this case study a typical Indian village load demand wants to meet out by suitable hybrid renewable configuration with optimum performance and least investment. The proposed system's technical performance was ensuring by highest renewable fraction and least annual unmet load percentage. The economical performances of the system were witnessed by the least net present cost and minimum cost of energy. The further sensitivity analysis of the proposed remote village electrification system has been verified by NREL's HOMER software tool. The outcome of the different HRE configuration's competitions were established that the PV/wind/biomass based hybrid renewable power generations at standalone mode was highly commendable electrification system for remote village energy sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roughly 400 million people in India had no access to electricity in 2011. With concerted efforts by the government, the electrification progressed fast to achieve near universal electrification in 2019. Despite the commendable progress, multiple challenges continue to afflict the sector. If policies and actions to sustain electrification and encourage development are to be successful, understanding the nature of drivers and barriers is essential. However, there has not been any systematic attempt to comprehensively identify and analyze the drivers and barriers to rural electrification. This study tried to identify and systematically prioritize the drivers and barriers, based on their strengths, for centralized grid and renewable energy (RE)-based mini-grids using a common analytical framework. The drivers and barriers were first identified through an exhaustive study of literature and consultations with electricity sector experts. Thereafter, their strengths were analyzed based on a perception survey with sector actors. The research provides lessons that despite achieving near-universal electrification, there are barriers to the advancement and sustenance of central grid and mini-grids. The results specify that driver and barrier elements with higher scores are across the political, economic, and financial categories. In contrast, institutional and social categories are ranked lower. The overall ranking indicates that enabling policies and government support to be the most significant driver for grid expansion. For RE-based mini-grids, convergence with livelihood programs and electricity for irrigation are perceived as strong drivers. The high cost of electricity and customers' inability to pay are perceived as barriers for both central grid and mini-grids. • India has achieved near-universal electrification in the year 2019. • No systematic study was done to analyze drivers & barriers to electrification. • The study made a novel attempt to identify & prioritize the drivers & barriers. • Despite near-universal access, there are still barriers to electricity supply. • Study provides lessons for access-deficit countries to expand electrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether adequate opportunities exist for full decarbonisation of the Indian energy sector and highlights where enough choices for full decarbonisation by 2050 do not exist. The study suggests transformative levels of electrification, energy efficiency improvements, and a switch towards decarbonised fuels (largely green hydrogen, decarbonised electricity, and bioenergy) as the three mainstays of India's decarbonisation strategy that could plausibly shift the energy sector towards a net-zero emissions future. The study also indicates that the heavy freight and industrial sectors face challenges in achieving full decarbonisation because of a lack of adequate technological solutions. Accordingly, residual emissions of about 1.3 gigatonnes in the system would require carbon sequestration options, including both technological and nature-based solutions, to achieve net-zero emissions. This study is expected to encourage further deliberations and deep dives into energy sub-sectors, which would benefit planners and policymakers in delineating India's sustainable energy transition strategy. • Analysis of decarbonisation potential of Indian energy sector. • Transformative electrification, EE improvements & decarbonised fuels would be needed. • Bio-energy, Green hydrogen, and decarbonised electricity as key decarbonising fuels. • Despite pushing technological limits, around 1.3 Gt of CO 2 e emissions remain. • Sequestration options needed to enable energy sector's NZE transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a case study for powering energy poor remote rural communities of Eastern India with locally available solar, biomass, diesel energy resources using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables tool to identify the optimized system architecture. The selection of the energy resources has been based on the performance assessment of the resources. The software tool brings four different categorized optimized hybrid configurations using different architectures of resources mentioned above with battery bank. The study exposed that cost of electricity, and net present cost of the most suitable low cost optimized hybrid configuration (600 kW solar photo-voltaic/10 kW biomass generator/50 kW diesel generator/1000 kWh battery/200 kW bidirectional converter) is $0.222/kWh and $0.922 M. The system benefits in terms of reduced emissions and improved system economics. The use of solar energy resource in optimal system modelling provides 45.5% return of investment, 49.4% internal rate of return, payback period of 2.04 years, and discounted payback of 2.25 years from the system without solar photo-voltaic component. Additionally, variation of cost of electricity is analyzed by interpreting sensitivity variables affecting load, system economics, and power production of energy sources using one-dimensional and distinguished multi-dimensional approaches. Eventually, the proposed configuration suitability is justified by comparing with the esteemed works from existing literature. • Performance analysis of local renewable energy sources for the remote Eastern India. • Optimal sizing of off-grid solar photo-voltaic/biomass/diesel/battery hybrid system. • Exclusive self-sustained power supply modeling approach. • Impact assessment of hybrid system after inclusion of solar photo-voltaic resource. • Sensitivity analysis of hybrid system using an unique three-dimensional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to bridge the gaps to produce sustainable energy cost-effectively and technically efficient. The paper explores the techno-economic-environmental viability of photovoltaic (PV)/biomass energy potential for a rural village, Sidhwanbet, Punjab, India. The data investigation was performed by HOMER Pro v3.14 software. A hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) was designed, simulated and modelled to ensure the continuous energy supply for 770 households. The proposed optimal HRES consists of a PV module, biomass generator, converter and battery with the static specification and further improved by optimization. The optimal HRES out of the best five configurations was elected with Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) based on net present cost (NPC), cost of energy generation (COE), operating cost (ƠƇ), initial capital cost (ƗƇƇ), energy generation (ĖƓ), and a renewable fraction (Ȓϯ). The selected optimal HRES has been analyzed for economic, renewable energy and environmental aspects. The sensitivity study had performed while considering the discount and inflation rate. A simulation was performed for a 10-kW biomass generator, 1.1 kW solar array, five lithium-ion batteries, and a 3.96 kW converter. Results revealed that the PV's payback period (PBP) was 1.58 years, less than the useful life of optimal HRES. The cost of constructing an HRES for 25 years was equivalent to $21087, including initial cost, operating, replacement, and project costs. Thus, 35.6% of the necessary electricity is generated with PV and 64.4% biomass under optimal conditions for a 100% renewable energy integration. The CO 2 /year emission performance of optimal HRES is much better than Grid-only and PV-diesel generators. This technique may be used in rural regions in every other developing nation. [Display omitted] • Study of hybrid PV/Biomass/Battery energy for India rural area. • Design and optimization for off-grid electricity generation system using HOMER. • Technically and financially viable optimal configuration costs 0.0362 $/kWh. • System performance economically and environmentally analyzed by sensitivity analysis. • HRES reduced GHG compared to conventional grid and PV-biogas generator only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A record for an abysmally high number of lightning discharges in a single day occurred on 16 April 2019, where almost 58,066 flashes (cloud to ground + inter cloud) with a maximum of 179 flashes/min were observed over India. Researchers have hypothesized that an intense Western Disturbance (WD) caused these high numbers of lightning flashes, which prevailed in the northwestern part of India and spread over much of the country. Instead, in this paper, it is suggested and shown through multiple datasets that a dust intrusion into the storm altered cloud characteristics at the microphysical level, most likely favouring charge separation in cloud particles. The back trajectory calculation indicated that there was a south-westerly transport of dust/ aerosol which converged within the secondary flow associated with the WD and lofted into the higher levels. It is hypothesized that the entrainment of dust acting as cloud condensation nuclei as well as ice nuclei induced a favourable condition for charge separation. Also a dust-boosting feedback loop was set up due to the prevailing intense WD which further accelerated the electrification process and led to the catastrophic lightning. • Intense lightning activity accelerated due to dust entrainment into WD. • Aerosol indirect effect as observed from multiple satellite observations. • Evidence indicate dust boosting feedback loop led to catastrophic lightning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving electrification in an island considering less emission and levelized energy cost is a challenging goal on developing islands such as Kalpeni Island. This work exhibits the techno-economic assessment of a standalone hybrid system to generate power to Kalpeni Island, India through sensitivity and optimization analysis using HOMER software. Various system configurations like solar/DG, wind/DG, solar/wind/DG, and solar/wind are analyzed based on cost and electrical parameters. Based on the optimization results, the best hybrid system is chosen for Kalpeni Island considering different solar tracking methods. Then, multi-year and sensitivity analysis are performed to analyze the effect of load growth, rising diesel price, rising battery minimum SOC, rising PVS derating, rising photovoltaic cell temperature, and changing inverter and rectifier efficiency. The system operated with a solar photovoltaic system (PVS) and diesel generator (DG) with a tracking system on a vertical axis (TSVA) shows the best optimization result compared to other hybrid configurations with a low levelized energy cost (LEC) of 0.222 $/kWh and net present cost (CNP) of $448,269 for the chosen location. The TSVA plays a vital role on power production in the system operated with solar and DG sources, which produces 9.77% more power compared to fixed system without tracking (FSWT). The total emission produced in the system operated with solar and diesel generator with TSVA is 88.2% less compared to an WT/DG configuration operated with FSWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]