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

The study examines how different electricity supply systems—microgrids, solar home systems (SHS), and the national grid—impact rural households and small businesses in India and Nepal. While general electricity access reduces kerosene use and increases women's time for income-generation, the specific type of system influences outcomes: SHS are most effective at reducing kerosene use, while the national grid correlates with higher appliance ownership. The report suggests that improving developmental impacts requires supply standards, policy support for productive use investments, and further cost-effectiveness research.

• General electricity access leads to a decrease in kerosene usage, allows women to dedicate more time to income-generating activities, and increases the ownership of home appliances.
• The specific type of electricity system affects outcomes: solar home systems (SHS) result in the highest reduction of kerosene use, whereas national grid connections are associated with higher rates of appliance ownership.
• While electricity access provides benefits to small businesses, it rarely serves as the primary driver for key business decisions.

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} }