Deployment of Experimental Microgrids for Rural Electrification

More than 1 billion people in the world lack access to basic electricity that is cheap, safe, reliable or clean, with an estimated 300 million people with access in India. Previous experience in the development of successful microgrids indicates that social, operating, and technical factors all play critical roles. The Tata Center for Technology and Design at MIT has recently supported the development of experimental microgrid technologies, and to support this, we have proposed a series of fast interventions and evaluations, in order to enable these new technologies to be successful. These results will help develop a plan for deployment and integrated protocols to evaluate their effectiveness, as well as to assist further growth and deployment of these technologies.