Can Microgrids Bring Low-Carbon Power to Tens of Millions of People?

By David Ferris

Powered by solar panels and biomass, microgrids are spreading slowly across India, where 300 million people live without electricity.  

January 21, 2014  |  Bharath Kumar was furious that the lights went out an hour early. His candy-making operation in the village of Tamkuha, in northern India, had been plunged into darkness at mid-batch, forcing him to use a weak, battery-powered lantern to manage his boiling pots.

"If I knew that the power would be shut off an hour earlier, I would not have mixed the sugar in the flour," he fumed. "This is not the first time. I will keep a record of when the power is switched off every night and show this when they come for collections."