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Context

Power outages in rural India continue to disrupt small-scale production units, with average daily cuts of nearly 9.5 hours. Diesel generators, the go-to alternative, are both costly and carbon-intensive, driving up expenses and emissions. For women entrepreneurs managing these units, energy unreliability directly translates to lower productivity and income. Under the Government of Uttar Pradesh’s Take-Home Ration (THR) initiative, the government has set up 204 Take-Home Ration (THR) units across 43 districts to ensure regular nutrition supply to over 5.16 million children and women via 99,000 Anganwadi Centres. These units, owned and operated by SHG women, are struggling with high energy costs and erratic power supply, affecting both their earnings and delivery timelines. Transitioning these units to solar is not only essential for improved livelihood outcomes but also critical for climate resilience and service reliability.    

Scope of Our Intervention

PCI India had already demonstrated successful solar integration in three THR units designated as Centers of Excellence (CoEs), which showed up to 5X productivity gains and 60% cost savings. Building on this, PCI facilitated the solarisation of 50 additional THR units during November 2024 and March 2025.

Under this initiative, PCI India:

  • Provided technical assistance for site assessment and installation
  • Facilitated the use of 90% government subsidy and mobilised 10% gap funding
  • Trained 2,000 SHG women on solar operations and maintenance
  • Developed digital dashboards for real-time performance tracking
  • Supported market integration for increased production post-solarisation

The intervention aimed to establish a scalable and replicable model for clean energy adoption in women-led micro-enterprises across India.

What We Did

  • Site Feasibility & Demand Aggregation (Month 1–2) – A detailed assessment was conducted across 100 THR units to evaluate their readiness for solar integration. Based on factors such as power requirements and available infrastructure, 50 units were selected. Unit-specific project reports were prepared and submitted on the government portal to initiate the subsidy process.
  • Capacity Building for SHG Women (Month 2–4) – 2,000 SHG women were trained in operating and maintaining solar systems through structured four-day sessions. These trainings, organised in collaboration with UPSRLM federations, equipped participants with the skills to manage system performance and address basic maintenance needs.
  • Solarisation of 50 THR Units (Month 2–5) – Hybrid solar systems (75 KWp capacity) with battery back-up were installed at each of the 50 selected units.
  • Digital Dashboard Development (Month 3–5) – Custom dashboards were developed to monitor energy consumption, cost savings, and production data. These tools provide real-time visibility at the unit, district, and state levels, supporting ongoing performance tracking and informed decision-making.
  • Market Linkages & Knowledge Dissemination (Month 4–5) – Insights from existing Centres of Excellence (CoEs) were shared to support replication. Linkages were created with new market channels to support increased production, and dissemination workshops were held with key stakeholders to encourage scale-up and policy alignment.

Outcome

  • Productivity at the THR units increased by 1.5 to 5 times post solarisation.
  • Each unit achieved annual savings of up to ₹3.6 lakh by eliminating diesel dependency.
  • The project directly supported 1,000 SHG women entrepreneurs in strengthening their enterprises through clean energy solutions.
  • It indirectly benefited over 4,000 household members and improved nutrition access for 5.16 million women and children.
  • The intervention reduced 30 MT of CO₂ emissions per unit annually and established a replicable solar-DRE model for rural women-led MSMEs.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Progress is tracked via digital dashboards and remote systems, with monthly reviews on training and usage, and quarterly reviews on solar output, productivity, and savings. PCI and UPSRLM jointly evaluate key indicators like unit efficiency, SHG income, and diesel reduction, with a final impact assessment at project end.