SunEdison accelerates mission of bringing power to remote areas with latest India projects

BELMONT, USA & CHENNAI, INDIA: SunEdison Inc. has announced a new project that will install 241 kilowatts (kW) of solar PV micro-grids with battery storage in 54 remote Indian villages, bringing cost effective electricity access to 7,800 off-grid individuals.

Under the Indian government's decentralized distribution generation scheme administered by the Rural Electrification Corp. (REC) and Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Co. Ltd (APEPDCL), SunEdison will build, operate and then transfer the facilities to the public within five years, putting the power of energy generation into the hands of the people.

"Rough terrain and limited road access make this project the most difficult rural installation SunEdison has attempted to date, but it isn't just about logistics or economics for us; it's about creating positive, long term social and environmental impact as well," said Pashupathy Gopalan, president of SunEdison Asia Pacific. "More and more businesses and organizations are understanding that this triple bottom line approach is working, and they are joining us in bringing clean energy to those who need it most."

SunEdison also announced today a new grant to enable 200 salt farmers in the Little Runn of Kutch area of India to purchase solar water pumps. The solar water pumps will be used by the families to pump brine and ultimately to produce salt. The salt farmers have been using diesel powered pumps, but rising diesel fuel prices have eroded their income and driven many of them into poverty. The grant was made to the Grassroot Trading Network for Women, a not-for-profit company promoted and owned by the nearly 2 million member strong Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) of India.

SunEdison will begin construction of the mini-grids in October 2014 and plans to commission them by March 2015. Capacity building and installation of the solar water pumps will begin in November of this year. Both projects are part of the SunEdison Eradication of Darkness (SEED) program, an initiative funded by the SunEdison Foundation to bring sustainable energy to the billions of people globally who lack the electricity critical for healthcare, sustenance, and education.