IEEE Electrification Magazine - June 2017 - 9

62,900 L per year of kerosene consumed for lighting, resulting in a
250-W Panel
reduction of 157 t of carbon dioxide
2.5-W LED
(CO2) gas per year.
GHE has recently started estab24-V dc Bus
lishing Innovation Centers in
Ladakh powered by dc technology
2.5-W LED
(Figure 4). The centers have been
Charge
10-A Miniature
established in rural schools that
Controller
Circuit Breaker
provide primary and secondary
24-V dc Bus
2.5-W LED
education with the aim of promoting digital literacy among the vilTwo 12-V-100-Ah
Batteries in Series
lage students. GHE has introduced
20-W LED TV
Linux/Windows operating-systembased low-power computers (<12 W)
with energy-efficient LED monitors
and satellite Internet access. The
Himalayan Innovation Centers
comprise on average six fully- Figure 3. A typical dc-microgrid configuration used by GHE communities. [LED TV photo courtesy
of GHE (Paras Loomba).]
fledged systems that require less
than 150 W of power. This is a perFounded in 2013, GVE's first community project was a
fect demonstration of how a high-performance, energy6-kW microgrid in the Egbeke community, Area of Rivers
efficient system can provide digital education for
State, Nigeria. Although the community of 450 homes
remote schools with an enormously motivating impact
had a school, health center, market, and telecommunicaon the students.
tions coverage, the lack of electricity stymied economic
By promoting home-stay tourism and the local handidevelopment, especially in processing of agricultural
crafts of the electrified villages, GHE has not only connectproducts before transportation to market. The first
ed villages to the rest of the world, but they have also
Egbeke microgrid electrified 86 homes (60 through wired
enabled women to earn additional income and create susdistribution and 26 by portable battery kits) and installed
tainable and scalable social enterprises while preserving
22 street lights. The installation not only created an estitheir traditions, culture, and artisan skills. Access to enermated US$6,000 in new wealth for the community, but
gy has played a crucial role in positively impacting their
also extended business operating hours, increased seculives. The electrified communities not only maintain the
rity at night, and allowed children and community memsolar microgrids that provide electricity for their homebers to gather under streetlights to study and play after
stay but also promote the lighting and charging facility as
dark (Figure 5).
a feature of their home-stay to attract tourists and hikers.
The success of the first project led GVE to be selected
This innovative approach has enabled these women to
as one of the six pioneer winners of the Power Africa
become actively involved in their village's economy.
Based on the success of the Himalayan projects, GHE
plans to replicate its technological solutions and scale its
operations in all off-grid mountainous communities of the
world facing similar energy-access problems. GHE has
already partnered with initiatives in Nepal and Peru to
replicate dc-microgrid solutions in unelectrified remote
regions. Similar interest has been received from Social
Enterprises in Africa, who are keen on adopting the dc
solution due to its higher efficiency and safety.

nigeria
As a student, Ifeanyi Orajaka wanted to help communities
in rural Nigeria obtain electricity. Starting with an awardwinning microgrid pilot project, Orajaka and his company,
Green Village Electricity (GVE) Projects have electrified
more than a thousand households to date and are within
reach of providing a million people with renewable offgrid energy.

Figure 4. The community celebrating in Sumdo Village under the
light cast by a 2.5-W, 320-lm LED light bulb that was designed by GHE
and can be assembled in the field from individual components by
community members. [Photo courtesy of GHE (Paras Loomba).]

IEEE Electrific ation Magazine / j une 2 0 1 7

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification Magazine - June 2017