Scaling Solar Mini/Micro-grids

1. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 1
Scaling Solar Mini/Micro-grids
Dr. Ashok Das
Founder CEO, SunMoksha
www.sunmoksha.com
Presentation at the
Session on International Solar Alliance
11th Renewable Energy India 2017 Expo, New Delhi
September 20, 2017
Empowering Lives, Catalyzing Development

2. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 2
Goals of ISA Minigrid Programme
1. Increase the ability of stakeholders and accessibility to finance solar projects
• Special emphasis on island States and remote rural areas
2. Facilitate capacity building of local financial institutions to finance solar mini,
micro and nano grid projects and investments on affordable terms
3. Persuade financial partners and other financing institutions to develop risk
mitigation measures and instruments
4. Enhance local institutional capacity to design, implement and monitor solar
mini, micro and nano grids
5. Promote formulation of mini grid policies that protect investments and returns
when the main grid comes into the off-grid areas, as well as to ensure fiscal
and financial support to keep power tariff affordable for the consumers

3. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 3
Goals of ISA Minigrid Programme
6. Facilitate strengthening of the legal and regulatory ecosystems in ISA member
States with the objective to assist flow of capital from corporate sector, while
protecting the interests of the consumer
7. Increase awareness and knowledge of solar energy technologies amongst the
key stakeholders
8. Develop the skills of local solar market players with the use of well researched
market intelligence in order to expand the business of the solar market
9. Build a skilled and trained work force in the solar sector by conducting various
training programs including training of trainers, vocational training etc.
10. Facilitate the establishment of more than 5 mini grids in each of these ISA
island States and rural remote areas of ISA member States by way of
mobilizing investments from corporate sector and assistance under Overseas
Development Assistance of member States and partner countries

4. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 4
Access to Energy Challenge
• 2015 IEA World Energy Outlook, 1.2B or 17% people in the world do not have
access to electricity
• 19% of India’s population without access to electricity
• Grids powered less than 30% of the time, especially in north/east
• Power is unreliable, unpredictable, low quality
237
289634
India
Africa
Rest of Asia
Population w/o Access
to Electricity (in Million)
Decentralized Renewable Energy
Microgrids are the Best Option

5. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 5
Why microgrids?
• Efficient, reliable, cost-effective for ensuring energy security (compared to grid)
• Interoperability with the grid, in case grid extension becomes viable
• Scalable, sustainable development through renewable sources
• Can power productive loads creating greater impact (compared to SHLS)

6. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 6
Productive Loads to empower farmers and villagers
• Must move farmers up the value chain
• Increase agriculture output, create more post-harvesting and other livelihood options
• Micro-Economic Zones (MEZ) in the villages to groom micro-entrepreneurs, increase income
• Reduce the pressure on agriculture and land, and lead to triple bottom-line impact
• Microgrids play important role in this development
(Water is farmer’s life, Electricity livelihood)
– Mahishanand Sardar, Baharbari Village, Bihar
“पानी है तो किसान है, बिजली है तो रोजी है”

7. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 7
The link between mini-grids and productive growth
– Stephen Nash, Kuungana Advisory, UK, September 11, 2017
• Mini-grid attractive if average household
demand in a 200HH habitat falls in Tier3
• Many households would not be able to afford to pay
for this level of access
• With no commercial load, SHS are likely to
be the most economical up to Tier2
• Hence, productive growth are important for viability
of minigrids

8. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 8
Microgrids haven’t worked well
Bihar
Bihar
Odisha
Jharkhand Odisha
MicroGrid Failure
Pilferage
Load Mgmt &
Power Factor
Monitoring:
Data Collection &
Communication
Business Viability Skill GapO&M, Technical Support
8
Single Source Generation

9. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 9
Microgrids haven’t worked well
• To optimize capital costs, electricity supplied is low and not easily scalable
• Results in limited scope to meet demands and achieve scalability
• People want more electricity but the system does not scale
• Low customer satisfaction
• Remoteness of location hinders technical support
• Issue of getting skilled personnel deployed in the village
• Results in system abuse, customer dis-satisfaction
• Compounds lack of viability
• Lack of demand management
• Very little consideration to manage demand, rather focused on supply
• Result in overdesign, lower efficiency, and lower plant load factor
• Lack of multi-source power generation
• Results in limited scope to meet demands and achieve scalability

10. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 10
Microgrids haven’t worked well
HOUSEHOLD USE TIER 0 TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3 TIER 4 TIER 5
(Mostly Grid)
1. Capacity
Power Min 3 W Min 50 W Min 200 W Min 800 W Min 2 kW
Daily Wh Supply Min 12 Wh Min 200 Wh Min 1.0 kWh Min 3.4 kWh Min 8.2 kWh
2.Availability
(Duration)
Hours per day Min 4 hrs Min 4 hrs Min 8 hrs Min 16 hrs Min 23 hrs
Hours per
evening
Min 1 hr Min 2 hrs Min 3 hrs Min 4 hrs Min 4 hrs
Ref: World Bank Report: BEYOND CONNECTIONS – Energy Access Redefined, https://www.esmap.org/node/55526
PRODUCTIVE USE TIER 0 TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3 TIER 4 TIER 5
1. Capacity
Power Min 3 W Min 50 W Min 200 W Min 800 W Min 2 kW
Daily Wh Supply Min 12 Wh Min 200 Wh Min 1.0 kWh Min 3.4 kWh Min 8.2 kWh
2. Availability
(Duration)
Hours per day Min 2 hrs Min 4 hrs
Half of the
working hours
(min 50%)
Most of the
working hours
(min 75%)
Almost all
working hours
(min 95%)

11. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 11
We have made them work at a remote village
Chhotkei Village, Purunakote GP, Angul District, Odisha, India
140 Household, ~600 Population,
235Ha Agri Land, 20 Street Lights,
Irrigation pumps, Microenterprises

12. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 12
Smart NanoGrid™ at Chhotkei, Angul, Odisha
NanoSoft
Server
Scheduling
$
Bill/PayMeter CRM
Power Plant
Smart Sensors
OFC to WiFi for Villager’s Access
Energy Card & Mobile App for all Transactions
Tele-services for
health/education/governance
Internet via VSAT
CLOUD
Remote Monitoring
Damand/Supply
Management
NanoARM
Controller
Distribution &
Control Boxes

13. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 13
Real-time Remote Monitoring for Tech Support
Issue at DB 10Issue at DB 10
• Tech Support – Remote Command Center Expert, Local
Operators and Workforce
• Accountability, Scalability, Affordability, Transparency
• Continuous stakeholder engagement
• Village at your fingertip
• Sponsors, Investors, Operators, Developers, Government
Smart Microgrid for Dummies

14. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 14
Youth training for sustainability and scalability

15. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 15
Chhotkei – From Darkness to Luminance
Livelihood/MEZ
Access to Energy

16. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 16
Serving at Energy Tiers 3, 4 and 5*
HOUSEHOLD USE TIER 0 TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3 TIER 4 TIER 5
(Mostly Grid)
1. Capacity
Power Min 3 W Min 50 W Min 200 W Min 800 W Min 2 kW
Daily Wh Supply Min 12 Wh Min 200 Wh Min 1.0 kWh Min 3.4 kWh Min 8.2 kWh
2.Availability
(Duration)
Hours per day Min 4 hrs Min 4 hrs Min 8 hrs Min 16 hrs Min 23 hrs
Hours per
evening
Min 1 hr Min 2 hrs Min 3 hrs Min 4 hrs Min 4 hrs
Ref: World Bank Report: BEYOND CONNECTIONS – Energy Access Redefined, https://www.esmap.org/node/55526
PRODUCTIVE USE TIER 0 TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3 TIER 4 TIER 5
1. Capacity
Power Min 3 W Min 50 W Min 200 W Min800 W Min 2 kW
Daily Wh Supply Min 12 Wh Min 200 Wh Min 1.0 kWh Min 3.4 kWh Min 8.2 kWh
2. Availability
(Duration)
Hours per day Min 2 hrs Min 4 hrs
Half of the
working hours
(min 50%)
Most of the
working hours
(min 75%)
Almost all
working hours
(min 95%)

17. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 17
May 2016 – “Smart Village” Award at
Smart Cities Conference and Exhibition
Mar 2016 – India Smart Grid Conference 2016
Power Minister Piyush Goyal hails Smart Nanogrid
“… I was most impressed with the
village smart grids ... innovative
solutions which are cost effective,
and can be immediately scaled up, …”
December 2016 –
TV NEWS
Nanogrid
Electricity
“I've seen plenty of microgrids, but the combination of
technology in this village is a first," says Mr. Tripathy,
Secretary MNRE. "It's the integration and the remote
monitoring. That's where they've done wonders."…
July 2016 – NEWS
July 2017 – Millennium Alliance Award
Awards and Accolades

18. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 18
Our Approach to Make Microgrids Work
1. Reliable, predictable
access to green energy
2. Ecosystem to develop skills for
livelihood and energy access
3. Business models for
livelihood and economic
development = MEZ

19. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 19
Key challenges that policy and regulation needs to
address for scaling of microgrids
– Stephen Nash, Kuungana Advisory, UK,
1. Micro-grid planning
2. Licensing requirements
3. Access to longer-term finance
4. Tariff regulation
5. Credit risk with counterparties
6. Eventual grid extension &
integration

20. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 20
(4) Demand-Supply
Optimization
Technology – Smart Nanogrid™
(2) IoT/Cloud-Based Monitoring,
Operations, and Maintenance
a) Operational Efficiency
b) Consumer-centric reliable,
predictable power services
c) Remote Technical Support with
local skilled workforce
(3) Customer Interface
Over Mobile Devices
for Communication,
Transaction and
Value-add Services
(1) Hybrid Renewable
Local Generation
(a) Utilization of Existing
Grid, where Possible
(b) Energy Efficient Lighting,
Appliances & Machinery
CLOUD
Smart Nanogrid™
NanoSoft Remote™
NanoARM
Mobile App

21. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 21
Technology – Software Automation & Controls

22. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 22
Technology – designed for global standards
• Plug-n-Play design
• Simply connect power/water- meters and/or sensors
• State-of-the-art technologies
• Equipped with all modes of data communication
• OFC, Ethernet, WiFi, GPRS, VSAT, LPWAN, etc.
• Compatible with all meters and sensors following RS232/RS485 protocols or analog signals
• Integrates international protocols for universal compatibility and security
• SaaS – Software as a Service – complete management of server and software
• Data storage, data transfers, memory, security and backups
• Software upgrades and maintenance
• Can be licensed to any microgrid players

23. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 23
R&D, Testing and Training at Living Laboratory
Solar Steam
Solar PV
Biogas
Humidity Temperature
Biomass
Gasifier
Wind
D.G.
Grid AC
Mobility
LHC
Atrium
Galleria
Water:
Hostel3
Water:
Hostel2
Water:
Hostel1
www.sunmoksha.com/smartgreencampus
In a first-of-its-kind, Smart Nanogrid™ was developed & tested at Living RE Laboratory and 3G/4G TIFAC CoE.

24. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 24
Technology for Scale
Development and monitoring of NanoSolutions
Modelling Impact of NanoSolutions using Simulations
IoT+IT+Cloud
System Dynamics Model of Smart Village
Cyber-Physical-Social System Integration of IT and OT
OT/Data
Sensor
s
Local
Server
Distribution
& Control
WiFi and
Mobile App
CLOUD
VSAT/Cloud
$
Metering/Billing
Demand
Managmt
Remote
Monitoring

25. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 25
Technology for Sustainable Smart Villages
Access to sustainable reliable energy acts as a catalyst for development
Good Governance
Water Mgmt
Livelihood/MEZ
Digital
Connectivity
Sustainable Agri
Health & Well-being
and Tele-medicine
Energy Sufficiency
Education & Skills
Waste Mgmt
Roads, Drainage

26. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 26
Way Forward – Smart Village Replication & Expansion
76
13
32
16
5
5
4
25
• Active across several states in rural India
• >100 Villages comprising >7000 HH
• EAST: Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam
• SOUTH: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra
• NORTH: Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh
• Understands development challenges of rural India
• Developed/adopted technologies to address these
challenges
• Energy, Water and MEZ are the primary focus that
act as catalytic infrastructure for sustainable
development
• Hybrid solutions of locally sustainable renewable energy
• Water conservation, recharge and smart management
• MEZ to kick-start economic activities and essential citizen
services

27. SunMoksha Confidential – DO NOT SHARE 27
Empowering Lives – Catalyzing Development!
27
Thank You!
Dr. Ashok Das
Founder CEO, SunMoksha
das@sunmoksha.com
www.sunmoksha.com