India is leading the global progress in electricity access. The country has recently declared 100% electrification, including its villages. However, questions remain – does everyone now have access to quality electric power? Is improved electricity access enabling electricity to all segments of customers? Do the electrified villages receive the quality and amount of electricity that is required to see improvements in their lives?

The Rockefeller Foundation, Smart Power India, and the Johns Hopkins-SAIS, Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy spear-headed a project to answer these questions, collecting primary research from over 10,000 households and 2,000 rural micro-enterprises across four Indian states. The resulting report titled – ‘Rural Electrification in India: Consumer Behaviour & Demand’ – furthers the discussion around India’s rural electricity access, customer demand behaviour and service satisfaction.

Moderator: Johannes Urpelainen, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment, Johns Hopkins SAIS

Panelists: Sidhartha Vermani, Senior Director, Smart Power India; Michaël Aklin, Director of Energy Access, Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy and Suman Sureshbabu, Associate Director, Power Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation.