Husk Power Systems

Context

Approximately 300 million people in India (22% of the population) do not have reliable access to electricity. Indian government has designated 18’000 villages as “economically impossible” to reach via conventional means of grid electrification. Current power options such as kerosene lanterns or diesel generators are detrimental to people’s health, environmentally unfriendly, and uneconomical.

Solution

• Husk Power Systems (HPS) has developed proprietary technology to convert locally produced agricultural waste (like rice husk) into electricity.
• HPS generates and distributes electricity from its mini-power-plants (35kWh-100kWh) and micro-grids, targeting the villages in India’s “Rice Belt” consisting of the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
• HPS is also piloting solar technology based mini-power-plants and mini-grids to connect households to an electricity connection for a monthly fee.

Impact depth

Approximately 50% of India’s population, living in the rural areas, will have the chance to now live a life beyond daylight hours, and work towards better economic gains with HUSK low cost power plants, each providing clean energy to 400 households saving 42’000 liters of kerosene and 18’000 liters of diesel per power plant, and reducing indoor pollution caused by burning fuel lamps. Thus, creating a healthier and prosperous India.

HPS contributes to:

Cleaner and safer energy: Households are less prone to respiratory diseases caused by fuel fumes or indoor fires hazards by using clean energy rather than burning kerosene lamps inside homes.

• Decrease in energy expenditure: Households save on average 250 Rupees per month by replacing kerosene lamps through Husk Power electricity.
• Reduction of environmental pollution: The burning of kerosene is a major pollutant that contributes to global warming through the emission of CO2.

* Fiscal year April to March