IEEE Electrification Magazine - June 2017 - 8

Figure 1. The Lingshed Monastery is illuminated at night for the first
time in 1,000 years. [Photo courtesy of GHE (Paras Loomba).]

decided to start a similar expedition in the Himalayas
focusing on implementing renewable energy technologies for remote Himalayan communities that have been
living without electricity for centuries due to their
inaccessible geographic location.
GHE seeks to provide clean energy, education, and
wireless connectivity access through solar power and to
help improve the living standards of the rural population.
The initiative focuses on implementing a holistic development model for rural unelectrified Himalayan communities by providing energy access through dc solar
microgrids for these remote villages located in the higher
reaches of the mountains. GHE's objective is to implement
the solution in a sustainable, scalable, and environmentally beneficial manner, leading to overall development of
the community and empowerment of the entire village population. Energy-access intervention has acted as a
tool for further development and growth in these
remote areas and has led to an increase in income and
livelihood creation.
GHE follows a six-point approach when providing
energy and education access to these remote Himalayan communities..
1) Survey of Villages and Community Mobilization: The GHE
team undertakes treks to remote villages to understand the terrain and the total cost required to electrify the village (Figure 2). Having reached the village, the
team then mobilizes the local villagers to understand

Figure 2. The community members and GHE participants make the
trek to electrify a community at elevation of more than 4,000 m.
[Photo courtesy of GHE (Paras Loomba).]

I E E E E l e c t r i f i c ati o n M agaz ine / j un e 2017

their current energy needs. Mobilization also involves
the formation of a village development committee
that undertakes the task of maintaining the grid and
establishing the village joint-bank account where the
monthly proceeds for the maintenance and upkeep of
the grids are deposited by each household.
2) Fundraising: The next step is to raise funds for the electrification of the surveyed villages. GHE connects not
only with international development agencies but
also with multinational companies that see if their
corporate social responsibility missions align with the
work GHE is executing in the Himalayas.
3) Design and Manufacturing: Once the funding is confirmed, GHE custom designs and manufactures its
own dc Products including solar charge controllers
and high-efficiency lights, televisions, and streetlamps
using light-emitting diode (LED) technology.
4) Transportation and Installation: With the funds in place,
the materials are manufactured and transported from
Delhi to Ladakh in a truck. Once the materials reach
Ladakh, GHE undertakes the task of electrifying the
village in three ways:
xx
Humane-Tourism Expeditions: GHE solicits people
via social media who are looking to have a unique
adventurous vacation with a humanitarian impact.
xx
Leadership Expeditions: GHE invites corporations
to sign up for employee leadership expeditions to
Ladakh for a hands-on experience in electrifying
the village.
xx
Community Installations: In some villages, GHE
engages the local community and trains them in
establishing the microgrids themselves with guidance from GHE electricians.
5) Maintenance and Repair: Every village that GHE electrifies selects two people from within the village and
trains them in solar microgrid maintenance. The
villagers pay the local maintenance technicians from
the money collected to cover the cost of any grid
maintenance.
6) Income Generation: Once the villages are electrified, GHE
promotes homestays in these villages, which generate
revenue for GHE and brings additional income to the
villagers through tourist visits.
To maximize efficiency and safety of the microgrids,
GHE installs decentralized dc systems in the range of
50-150 W. To support this technology, GHE has developed
its own line of high-efficiency 2.5-W LED lights, 20-W
high-definition (HD) televisions, and 20-W LED streetlights. The majority of installed microgrids operate from
dusk to dawn and use the system topology shown in
Figure 3. To date, GHE has electrified 22 villages since it
began with its pilot model of dc-based electrification in
2014. In addition, 95 microgrids have been installed with a
total capacity of 19.6 kW, powering more than 2,000 LED
bulbs, 60 LED street lights, and 36 LED HD televisions.
Electrification of these villages has eliminated approximately

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