With the support of a well-developed ecosystem for DRE technologies, many replicable business models can be created to drive sustainable economic development across India.

Assam is situated in the eastern Himalayas and is blessed with rich and fertile soil. The state has a humid tropical climate with heavy rainfall enabling it to be a biodiversity hotspot. The two major rivers flowing through the state are Brahmaputra and Barak. The freshwater wetlands (around 3500) constitute 1.29% of the total geographical area of the state (Assam SAPCC 2015-20). These wetlands are home to a variety of fish. Fish is an essential component of Assam's diet. Since more than 90% of the state's population consumes fish, there is a huge demand for it throughout the year. North–East is one of the major markets for Indian Major Carp (IMC) consists of Catla, Rohu and Mrigal, usually cultivated to meet domestic demand (World Bank, 2022).

Fishery is a promising sector in Assam, with a growth rate in fish production of around 6.2%. The state achieved a fish production level of 4.43 lakh million tonnes (MT) in 2022–23, with an increase in per capita consumption to 13.06 kg, up from 12.18 kg in the previous year, 2021–22 (Economic Survey Assam 2023-24). This state supports a substantial portion of both human and ecological populations. Despite these significant achievements, this sector still faces major challenges from rapid climate change, weather extremes, rising water temperature, biodiversity loss and increasing demand for energy (FAO, 2023). These factors are adversely impacting the state's economic growth. The World Bank data on greenhouse gas (GHG) audit of fisheries sector reported that, 89.8% of energy consumption in fish value chain is associated with the harvest phase (World Bank, 2022). As temperature continues to rise due to GHG emissions, the demand for energy is likely to go up (World Bank, 2017). Table 1 provides some statistics on energy and GHG emissions in fishery sector.

The current energy capacity is not enough to meet the demand, especially in remote areas of Assam, negatively impacting the rural livelihood including fishery sector (CLEAN 24). Hence, there is a need for reducing energy consumption in aquaculture sector.

Decentralized Renewable Energy 

Decentralized renewable energy (DRE) systems are small-scale energy units that use renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, biomass waste, etc, to generate and distribute energy near to the point of use. This ensures limited or no transmission and distribution loss. The DRE contributes to climate change mitigation and protecting natural capital. It is less vulnerable to the volatility of the fossil fuel markets and brings added benefits of stimulating local employment, technological development, and economic growth (CEEW, 2023).

The DRE offers an opportunity and encourages use of renewable energy (solar) specifically in small fishing units. It can be utilized at various stages of fish production and supply chain, including postharvest management and value addition. Not only DRE appliances are cost effective, they provide more viability when used over the lifetime of around 10 years (CLEAN 2024). The integration of DRE in aquaculture will not only help in addressing the rising energy demands of fishery sector, but also contributes to the climate change mitigation in a sustainable manner and will improve the livelihood of small fish farmers.

Kalong Kapili and its Initiative on Decentralized Renewable Energy Technologies

Kalong Kapili is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based at Assam. Since its inception in 2007, Kalong Kapili has dedicated itself to the environmental, economic, and social development in a sustainable manner specifically in aquaculture sector of the North–East India. Kalong Kapili has helped more than one lakh families to generate sustainable income and empowered the youth and women and economically disadvantaged communities of the region. Recently Kalong Kapili has carried out a pilot project named 'Empowering the Fishery Value Chain in Assam through Decentralized Renewable Energy Technologies' in collaboration with farmer producer organizations (FPOs) in four districts: Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Sonitpur, and Biswanath Chariali. The project was primarily supported by GIZ and co-financed by IKEA. The project commenced from May 2023 to September 2024, spanning 16 months.

The primary objective of this project was to pilot the DRE technologies and develop scalable, replicable business models tailored for fish farmers, FPOs, financial institutions, and NGOs. These models aimed to enhance affordable access to finance while supporting government efforts in policy convergence for sustainable aquaculture within the fishery value chain.

The initial phase of the project involved several activities like awareness programme, baseline survey, selection of project sites and fish farmers, district-level workshop, followed by procurement and installation of DRE technologies on selected sites. After successful installation, training-cum demonstration programme was organized for fish farmers. A total of 91 farmers from all four selected districts took part in the training-cum demonstration programme. The farmers were provided with the support of knowledge and training about DRE technologies in the fisheries value chain (FVC). In addition, a state-level workshop was conducted to discuss the impact and scope of the project and analyse the potential of DRE technologies in FVC of Assam. The pilot project received an overwhelming response. Number of requests received from farmers and other stakeholders, to replicate the same model in other areas of Assam.

Under this project, 10 solar-powered technologies were distributed to 10 farmers across four selected districts, including 3 solar water pumps, 3 solar aerators, 2 solar dryers, and 2 solar DC refrigerator-cum freezers. The solar water pumps facilitated water supply, solar aerators increased oxygen concentration in ponds, and solar dryers and refrigerators reduced post-harvest losses by preventing fish spoilage.

Impact of Decentralized Renewable Energy Project

Through this project, farmers directly benefited from the installation of the DRE technologies. By adopting these technologies, their reliance on electricity was significantly reduced, leading to increased annual revenue. The use of solar aerators improved pond water quality and oxygen levels, enabling higher stocking density. Additionally, solar dryers allowed farmers to produce hygienic dried fish without spoilage. The given images illustrate a comparative analysis of outcomes with and without DRE technologies.

The DRE technologies helped fish farmers overcome major constraints including mass mortality, water scarcity, and post-harvest loss. Therefore, this initiative paved the way for DRE technologies to expand their potential in strengthening the fish value chain across the state. Furthermore, it has contributed to improving the livelihoods of fish farmers. By replicating such DRE models across various sectors, Assam can increase its access to clean energy, thereby moving towards zero-carbon emission and a sustainable economic growth.

Conclusion and Future Direction

The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) emphasized on harnessing new and renewable energy as sustainable source of energy. The DRE is a promising solution for reducing energy consumption. By scaling up the penetration of DRE across different sectors will help in providing more stable and sustainable energy solutions for the current and future energy demands.

As DRE is a nascent sector, it faces several challenges, such as acceptability, financing, technology customization, and after-sales services. Hence, to integrate DRE in a coordinated and coherent manner, a robust ecosystem needs to be developed. This ecosystem should include:

Financial institutions: Financial institutions such as commercial banks, non-banking financial companies, and micro-finance institutions should develop financial products tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers to finance DRE technologies. Bilateral and multilateral agencies, corporate social responsibility initiatives of private companies, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the government sector should provide grants for pilot projects and viability gap funding to scale these technologies.

Technology players: Technology players should understand the needs of smallholder farmers and customize DRE technologies to meet their requirements and affordability. They should also collaborate with farmer collectives for testing and refining the technology.

Civil society organizations: Civil society organizations, being close to the community, should serve as a connecting link among technology players, farmer collectives, and farmers. These organizations should facilitate the testing and implementation of technologies within their operational areas. They should also build the capacities of farmers and farmer collectives to effectively use these technologies. Additionally, they should collect bottom-up feedback from farmers and develop case studies and knowledge products to document and share learnings.

With the support of a well-developed ecosystem for DRE technologies, many replicable business models can be created to drive sustainable economic development across India.

References

CLEAN. 2024. Framework for DRE for rural livelihoods in Assam: Policy brief

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). (2023). Decentralised renewable energy technologies: Market impact potential for sustainable livelihoods. Details available at

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2023. The small-scale fisheries and energy nexus: opportunities for renewable energy interventions. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Government of Assam. 2015. Assam State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC)

World Bank. 2022. Status Paper on Benchmarking, Current Energy Usage, and GHG Emissions: Energy and GHG Audit of Fisheries Sector

World Bank. 2017. Final SEARSF Climate Change Report. Details available at #