Dialogue on Mini Grid Implementation in Jharkhand

As of 2019, there were more than 14,000 mini grid projects operating in India. Jharkhand is home to more than 250 mini grids of varied sizes spread across districts of the state, implemented by a variety of organizations impacting numerous citizens and creating immense value for stakeholders.

On studying various mini grid projects, we conclude that the implementing agencies and stakeholders involved have gained vast experience in designing mini-grid systems and engaging with community members to ensure sustainability of mini-grids. These and several other practices hold potential to be templatized for adoption across different contexts.

We also conclude that while many succeeded, several failed to create lasting impact for the communities they were meant to serve. As we move to scaling up mini grid projects across geographies, this is a moment to reflect on and share learnings from the projects implemented in Jharkhand and beyond.

With this aim, Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF) and WRI India are jointly organizing a ‘dialogue’ to collectively reflect on the learnings from mini-grid implementation in Jharkhand. We invite organizations from Jharkhand’s mini-grid ecosystem to join us for an in-person workshop to share learnings on:

• Innovative system design
• Economic sustainability of mini grids
• Integrating productive applications
• Policy framework and finance for promoting mini-grids
• Frameworks and metrics to measure impact of mini-grids

This informal dialogue will be organized under Chatham house rules1 to foster frank discussions on implementation challenges. The organizers will develop a document describing the issues discussed and share with all participants and release in public domain.