Impacts of Small-Scale Electricity Systems: A Study of Rural Communities in India and Nepal

This research paper compares the impacts of microgrids, solar home systems (SHS), and the national grid on households and small enterprises in rural India and Nepal, noting that while electricity access generally reduces kerosene use and increases appliance ownership, the specific benefits vary by system type.

• General electricity access in rural communities leads to a decrease in the use of kerosene, an increase in the time women spend on income-generating activities, and the purchase of home appliances.
• The specific benefits of electricity vary by the type of supply system: solar home systems (SHS) result in the highest reduction of kerosene use, while the national grid is associated with higher appliance ownership.
• While electricity access provides benefits to small businesses, it rarely influences the primary decisions made by those businesses.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Impacts of Small-Scale Electricity Systems: A Study of Rural Communities in India and Nepal. https://www.wri.org/research/impacts-small-scale-electricity-systems-study-rural-communities-india-and-nepal

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Impacts of Small-Scale Electricity Systems: A Study of Rural Communities in India and Nepal. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/impacts-small-scale-electricity-systems-study-rural-communities-india-and-nepal.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Impacts of Small-Scale Electricity Systems: A Study of Rural Communities in India and Nepal |url=https://www.wri.org/research/impacts-small-scale-electricity-systems-study-rural-communities-india-and-nepal |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendimpacts, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Impacts of Small-Scale Electricity Systems: A Study of Rural Communities in India and Nepal}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/impacts-small-scale-electricity-systems-study-rural-communities-india-and-nepal}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }