Understanding Patterns and Impacts of Electricity Quality and Access in Northern India

Indians have suffered from rolling outages and blackouts even as millions of citizens have gained access to electricity in recent years, which has led to concerns about electricity quality and its impacts. Under the guidance of the research team, Morsel collected data from Households and Enterprises in 40 villages of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The goal of the research is to help shed light on the role of energy in economic development in these locations. The work helps contribute to the goals of the Energy Access Project (EAP) at Duke University. The EAP is broadly concerned with evaluating the drivers and impacts of sustainable energy transitions globally, with a particular focus on ways to accelerate these transitions in low‐ and middle‐income countries.

Researchers found that electricity quality varies strongly across zones served by different distribution companies, but is less closely related to the national electrification program Saubhagya. Access to electricity is strongly correlated with a better standard of living, as measured by household consumption, and that better electricity quality is strongly correlated with decreased household fuel consumption.