India Renewable Energy Appliances Portal

Decentralized renewable energy (DRE) entrepreneurs have been at the forefront of servicing energy requirements of the unserved and underserved populations in India and other countries where energy security remains a concern. Access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy has transformed innumerable lives in rural India by creating opportunities for employment, eradicating drudgery of livelihood activities, raising income levels, providing safe and healthy living conditions, better education opportunities, and contributing to gender equality.

Various solutions and services have been implemented by passionate and innovative entrepreneurs that serve as a great reference for any new enterprise or other interested party looking out for DRE-enabled solutions to bridge the energy gap in rural communities. As the sector gains more importance, there is a strong need for a single platform where all this information is easily accessible to entrepreneurs, consumers, and decision makers.

Thus, the India Renewable Energy Appliances Portal (IREAP) was born. Launched by CLEAN with support from GIZ, the portal is an open access repository for a range of stakeholders to find information on DRE products and services across the country. The portal includes a broad range of DRE appliances, including solar and biomass powered systems, and provides latest information, increasing awareness and giving a range of stakeholders access to information to help make better decisions. For suppliers, manufacturers, and system integrators, I-REAP offers a platform for them to share technical specifications of their products, allowing them to market their services to a wider audience. For consumers, it provides a range of buying choices with comparable information and specifications. For policymakers and government officials, it aids in decisionmaking and policies to promote rural livelihoods.

At present, the database lists over 400 products across 24 categories, including clean cooking, solar lighting, productive use appliances, irrigation, and home appliances. The team is working on increasing the listings in the coming months. As the DRE sector is witnessing a significant shift towards playing a larger role in rural livelihoods and entrepreneurship, a range of such products like food processing, milking machines, poultry incubators, and other similar applications are also included in the portal. Owing to the tremendous potential of solar water pumps and its increased traction owing to the PM-KUSUM scheme, this has been listed as a separate category and has 199 solar water pumps ranging from 0.5 HP to 55 HP. In addition, battery and solar-powered vaccine freezers, including portable varieties are included, which will increase in demand in light of COVID-19.

Prior to developing this portal, CLEAN and GIZ undertook research on the need for such a platform, reviewing existing databases and compendiums, and studying the products and services available in the market. One of the findings of this research was that for DRE products/services a dedicated portal was required as they are often not intuitive and requires a greater understanding of how such energy interventions impact cash flow and the lifestyle of stakeholders in the short term and the long term in order for purchase decisions to be made and applications to be implemented effectively. Take, for instance, a domestic sewing machine motor. A BLDC motor costs nearly 20 percent more than a regular universal motor available in the market. However, in an off-grid or weak-grid region, powering a BLDC motor with solar PV costs 40 percent less than its counterpart due to its higher efficiency. The inefficiency of a motor available in the market may not impact the consumer who has reliable grid power access, where power is subsidized, whereas for an off-grid consumer, this matters more, making the costlier but efficient BLDC motor a better buying choice to use with DRE. This may not be intuitive, but with a portal where the right solution that accounts for unique constraints, consumers can communicate with enterprises for a more in-depth understanding, and make better buying decisions.

Another finding from this research was that although some similar platforms exist, they are constrained by geography or technology type and lack the option to update information in real time.

Going forward, CLEAN aims to improve the size and reach of the portal to include more DRE technologies as well as make it available in Hindi as well. In addition, impact case studies from the ground would help generate greater awareness about successful products and services in the sector. GIZ and CLEAN will continue to strengthen the portal so that it acts as a catalyst to provide DRE enabled solutions across the country, especially in under-served regions. The portal is also envisioned as a platform where DRE business can thrive while continuing to make a sustainable impact in the lives of communities.

Written by: Gopala Subramanian & Sreejith Narayanan
CLEAN