Exploring Renewable Energy Potential To Electrify Remote Schools In India: A Literature Review

Abstract

The Indian government is yet to achieve the goal of providing electricity to schools all over the country, and the illiteracy rate seems to emerge from the schools with inadequate infrastructure. Rural schools do not have access to electricity due to the slow electricity grid expansion and continuously increasing electricity demand in the country. However, renewable energy could be the potential answer to assist the government in reaching their goals as renewable energy systems can be used for remote energy generation, eliminating the need for electricity grid extension, or increasing the grid load. This article looked at the viability of renewable energy to support schools' facilities and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) within schools at remote locations in India. The literature showed high wind and solar energy potential in the country, and three case studies illustrated the potential of solar and wind energy systems to support school infrastructure as well as demonstrated positive impacts on the community, finances, and student's educational performance. To conclude, renewable energy sources demonstrated a good potential to support rural school electrification while keeping the environmental impacts to the minimum and contributing to India's renewable energy deployment goals.