Background

Indian government data from 2005 shows that almost 90% of households in the state of Bihar are not connected to the conventional grid. Bihar is also the state with the greatest number of people below the poverty line; people who spend a large portion of their income on kerosene and diesel generators. In its last REEEP-funded project SELCO India began replicating its successful solar lighting model in the Munger district of Bihar in partnership with SEWA Bharat a local organisation working with rural women. Under that project SELCO is installing 400 home systems financed by Bihar Kshetriya Gramin Bank (BKGB) via some 40 women’s self-help groups. This project will now incubate the resulting partnership into an actual cooperative that takes up the energy services business systematically with a long-term plan for servicing the local communities.

Purpose

To establish one fully operational women’s energy co-operative as an independent energy services provider to thousands of off-grid households in Bihar

Implementor

SELCO Foundation