Gram Power sets up energy-efficient, smart microgrids in remote areas to provide on-demand, reliable electricity to rural households and telecom towers.
In off-grid communities and villages with less than six hours of intermittent daily power supply, Gram Power sets up electricity generation stations with renewable sources of energy, such as solar power, and installs distribution lines from the generation station to every home and local telecom tower. The microgrid comes with a proprietary smart prepaid meter for every household. This solution offers reliable power to the microgrid with the smart meter detecting energy theft, while monitoring power consumption of consumers and allowing for wireless payments.
Once a microgrid has been installed, a local entrepreneur is recruited and trained to operate the generation station and to sell the electricity. Gram Power sells energy credits at a wholesale price to the entrepreneur, who in turn earns a commission by selling these credits to consumers. So far the company has installed smart grids in 30 remote areas in rural India, and are now using their technology to help manage the national grid too. In Africa, they hope to bring energy to over one million families.
Why you should care
The International Energy Agency estimates that more than 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity. The smart microgrid system developed by Gram Power has been a role model in its field to provide flexible, modular and reliable power from renewable sources of energy to people in energy-poor communities.
How the Global Goals are addressed
Good Health and Well-Being
It has been estimated that using kerosene lighting is comparable to smoking two packets of cigarettes every day, leading to increased risk from respiratory diseases. By providing affordable access to clean electricity, Gram Power hopes to change this.
Affordable and Clean Energy
Solar power is affordable and reliable across much of rural India and Africa, and Gram Power’s microgrids turn this clean energy into affordable electricity for whole communities.
Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Gram Power’s Smart Microgrids provide affordable single and three phase power to remote villages at less than 30% of the cost of grid extension, according to the company.
Climate Action
Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation will help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Partnerships for the Goals
Funding from Europe and Silicon Valley has enabled technological solutions such as this to be transferred to areas where they are most needed and most difficult to install.
Gram Power
Gram Power provides the industry's most integrated smart metering solution at the lowest cost to organize and manage power infrastructure intelligently!
Global Goals addressed