Friday, October 04, 2013: Several solar energy startups are offering low-priced and easily available power to rural India. These ventures have turned up with solutions – ranging from solar off-grids to solar-powered home systems. These solutions are not just cheap but are also less toxic as compared to traditional fuels such as kerosene.
“In a country, where large swathes of population have little or unreliable access to basic power, off grids is the solution,” said Shyam Patra, 36, who is the founder of Naturetech Infrastructure. The four-year-old, Lucknow-based startup offers electricity to around 25 villages all over Uttar Pradesh and Bihar by producing power directly to homes and micro and small enterprises.
Patra tells that UP alone has 20 million rural households which don’t have access to electricity. Even if they choose to work only here, they won’t be able to deal with more than 10 per cent of the market. Patra was previously working with infrastructure companies like Lanco and GMR.
Off-grid of Naturetech’s is installed underground with cables linked to households. Customers need to pay using a tamper-proof prepaid meter. Consumers are pay up to 150 a month for 24-hour electricity, which is nearly half of what they normally spend on kerosene and diesel.
“The aim is to provide the last mile connectivity,” Patra said, adding that he is looking forward to install 10 more off-grids by the end of this year and generate revenue of Rs 10,00,000 by the end of the current fiscal.
