Energy Storage for the bottom of the pyramid

Ananth Aravamudan SELCO

Setting the context

SELCO is an 18 year old social enterprise whose mission is to provide sustainable energy services to the poor and under-served
Dr.Harish Hande, founder, won the Magsaysay Award in 2011

SELCO has electrified, via solar, more than 150,000 households (more than half a million people)
30 branches and 200+ employees

90% of the systems are financed (mainly by banks, also co-operatives, MFIs, etc.) SELCO philosophy
Solar energy system should be treated as an asset that is bankable This implies high quality, long life and warranties that match typical loan tenures Service is as important as sales

How do the economics work out?

Household Level:
Energy source for lighting Details Monthly household expenditure Rs. 270 Rs. 180

Kerosene Decentralized Solar Energy

6 liters (Rs. 14 per liter + Rs. 60 per liter) Rs. 8000 @ 12% for 5 yrs

SELCO-India in a snapshot
SELCO India
SELCO Incubation Center (2012) -8 Incubatees in 2012 - North and North Eastern States

SELCO Solar Private Limited (1995) - 32 branches - 3 states - 200+ employees - Partnerships with Financial institutions

SELCO Foundation (2010) Experimenting with technology, financing and community models

Operations

Mission

Projects

SELCO Labs - Rural, Urban, Education, Tribal communities

Policy Capturing the Practitioner s perspective

ENERGY STORAGE AT SELCO

Solar Home Lighting Systems

Home Light Systems

Basic Solar PV system working model

Rural Home

Energy Storage for HLS

SELCO home lighting systems use tubular flooded lead-acid batteries Designed for 3 day autonomy, never exceeding 20% depth of discharge Batteries rated at a discharge rate of C10

Energy Storage for HLS (contd)

Pros
Locally manufactured, cost effective Field-proven, come with 5 years warranty
Essential for bank loans

Cons
Require maintenance (distilled water top up every 4 months) Low energy density, bulky and heavy Transported in wet condition, since local handling of dry batteries not possible in remote locations
Many transporters wont take these

Central charging models street hawkers

Central charging models energy centres

Energy Centre, Udupi Energy Centre, Tubrahalli, Bangalore

Mobile and lantern charging facility, Dharmastala

Energy Centre Customers, Chitradurga

Energy Storage for Central Charging

Early models used small tubular lead acid batteries (10 Ah 15 Ah) More recent models use sealed lead acid batteries Battery portability is a key factor In these systems, batteries are deep-cycled every day, especially in slum homes

Energy Storage for Central Charging (contd)

Pros of sealed lead acid
Locally manufactured, cost effective Relatively lighter than tubular batteries No maintenance required

Cons
Poor cycle life, failures start from 6 months onwards Warranty is from 6 months to 1 year Use and throw

Light for Education - model

Light and battery

Solar panel on school roof

Charging station at School

Child studying at home

Energy Storage for LFE

Light for Education uses NiMh or Li-ion batteries Storage ranges from 1500 2200 mAh Pros:
Extremely portable and lightweight, fits into the childs pocket No risk of leakage or spillage

Cons
Works only for small loads like study lamp Cost is relatively high

Summary
Our target communities need upgraded energy storage technology! Fixed home lighting systems:
Spill proof, yet highly reliable batteries

Portable systems:
Lightweight, high cycle life batteries Small cost increase can be afforded, but not a massive one

Thank You