Energetica India Magazine May-June 2021

ing strategy across more than 50 proj- ects within the portfolio. After that, I got the opportunity to manage one of The Rockefeller Foundation’s flagship ini - tiatives in India, Smart Power for Rural Development (SPRD). In this role, I was fortunate enough to lead and direct a full range of activities, partners, and re- sources of the initiative to provide afford- able and clean energy access to over a million people in India, and thereby improve livelihoods and village econo- mies. Currently, as the Managing Director of the Asia Region Office, I am responsible to advance the Foundation’s policy, ad- vocacy, grant-making, and partnerships in Asia. Shed some light on the initiatives tak- en by The Rockefeller Foundation in the energy sector in India? D eepali K hanna : At The Rockefeller Foundation, we approach energy ac- cess holistically, in that we recognise the impact reliable energy has on live- lihoods, their incomes and the need for energy to eliminate poverty itself. The Foundation’s work in the distribut- ed renewable energy space is working towards supporting a more equitable transition to renewable energy in India and around the world to meet global cli- energetica INDIA- May-June_2021 31 WOMEN INFLUENCER “We need more voices from women in the ecosystem and the opportunity to put in proactive efforts for a sustain- able and equitable future.” mate goals. Our work in energy access and economic development addresses the unfolding impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change on the world’s energy poor. It will also help turn the tide decisively in favor of renewable energy projects in India and worldwide - substantially reducing CO2 emissions in the near term, both by greening the grid and disrupting the pipeline of fos- sil fuel plants that are planned or under construction. With this philosophy, our Smart Power India (SPI) program was established. It was our first large-scale, renewable energy initiative, created to support last- mile electrification in three states i.e. Bi - har, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, with high concentrations of energy poverty. By providing technical support to local renewable energy mini-grid companies and promoting an ecosystem for local enterprises to thrive, this institution is working towards driving reliable rural electrification. Over the last five years, SPI has been field-testing new technolo - gies and business models that can take decentralized renewable energy from an off-grid alternative to a mainstream component for widespread rural electri- fication. Among all people whom SPI serves, small businesses that now get power through these mini-grids have seen an almost 50% increase in their revenue and their income. Since many of these are women-headed enterprises, those economic gains are reinvested in the welfare of their children, in their nutrition, access to school, and efforts that lift en- tire communities. To date, SPI has sup- ported the establishment of 400+ op- erating mini-grids benefiting more than 300,000 people in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and kick-started last-mile electrification pilots with utilities in Bihar and Odisha. We plan to touch 18 million lives by 2023. In November 2019, we also launched a Renewable Microgrid program in part- nership with Tata Power. Its goal is to empower 25 million Indians – establish- ing a new model for partnerships in this sphere. How was your experience leading the Smart Power India initiative? D eepali K hanna : Despite India having achieved universal electrification in 2018, many rural households still do not have access to a reliable supply of electricity with shorter hours of power supply, frequent power cuts and voltage fluctuations still a reality for many house - holds. It fills me with immense pleasure when I look at the India program and person- ally get to witness the successful entre- preneurial stories, especially those of women, like Ruby Kumari, a seamstress in Bihar, who thanks to reliable power, rather than shutting down during Covid India-wide lockdowns, she was able to grow a mask sewing enterprise to pro- tect her community and support her family. We saw that with reliable elec- tricity powering a community, everything changes: Children go to school in the day and study at night. Hospitals and clinics remain open around the clock and store life-saving vaccines and med- icines, while shops stay open later. The economic benefits multiply and lift com - munities, regions, and countries. I am a strong believer that the greater participation of women in the energy value chain can help in more effective access to energy. As women are part of different social networks vis-à-vis men, their inclusion can help businesses reach out to more households. As con- sumers, women can make more sustain- able choices, and tend to have a big- ger say in household energy decisions. Including women as key stakeholders in shaping the renewable energy value chain can help in better and more effi - cient design, production, distribution, and sales of sustainable energy tech- nologies. Today, in this era of unprece- dented crises—including the coronavi- rus pandemic—we have a responsibility