IORA is working on “Developing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Models for Deployment of Decentralised Renewable Energy Systems in Assam and Meghalaya”. The project is supported by Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. We have identified 10 sites to deploy suitable DRE technology solutions across both the states using a PPP approach. Our pilots present solutions for rural electrification, building resilient Disaster Risk Management (DRM) infrastructure, resilient medical infrastructure and development of local enterprises. We will identify/ create local institutional frameworks to host and support the implementation and monitoring of the proposed DRE solutions. This may include the existing Village Panchayat (VPs), Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs), Self Help Groups (SHGs) or creation of new Village Energy Committees (VECs) as needed. Training and capacity building of community stakeholders will be carried out to encourage entrepreneurship and to ensure effortless operation and maintenance of DRE systems. The project is an endeavour to achieve SDG 7 in Assam and Meghalaya by developing a roadmap to provide reliable access to electricity.

Development Alternatives engaged IORA to provide consulting support and to develop corporate & government engagement strategies, project due diligence tools and project contracting procedures for pilot projects in the Smart Power for Environmentally Sound Economic Development (SPEED) Project. The project aimed to create a positive impact on the lives of rural communities in India through the delivery of more affordable, reliable and clean energy services.

IORA (in association with ICF Strategic Consulting) empowered the Government of Assam with technical capacity to develop a state-level energy plan with several specific actions. We appropriately designed and established a Project Management Unit (PMU) capacitated with required skills and knowledge to establish permanency of the developed Energy Plan within the Assam State Energy Planning processes.

USAID initiated the Innovations in Ecosystem Management and Conservation (IEMaC) project under it’s InFORM (Innovations in Forest Resource Management) program. IORA led the deployment of IEMaC in collaboration with MART and Bioversity International. Implemented in two landscapes- Sirsi (Karnataka) and Mandla (Madhya Pradesh), IEMaC aimed at reducing pressure on forests through development of innovative gender sensitive tools for improved fuelwood management, community-centric NTFP value chains and community based forest-monitoring tools. They were trained on gendered value-chain development and assessment of its impact at household and enterprise level. We developed NTFP enterprises as an alternative livelihood strategy for the forest dependent communities. This involved developing sustainable NTFP harvesting techniques, community-based entrepreneurs, Farmer Producer Company (FPC), organic certification and value addition at processing hubs and market linkages leading to a 30% increased income for forest dependent communities. 50 women farmers were trained under the program. The program resulted in certification of 27 wild harvested produce, 20000 Ha of forest land & 400 farmers as organic under USDA-NOP, NPOP & EU 847/2007 organic standards.
The project led to the development of iFoReST (India’s Forest Resource Decision Support Tool), an innovative decision support system (DSS) that scientifically guides investments aimed at addressing unsustainable extraction of fuelwood from forests. The iFoReST was deployed in both the landscapes with the Karnataka Forest Department and Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, respectively. Several clean technology installations targeting domestic, commercial and institutional users of fuelwood were carried out by clean technology entrepreneurs trained under the project. The project resulted in 1,000 tonnes of reduced CO2 emissions, through increased community plantations, installation of fuel-efficient water heaters, dryers, cookstoves and jaggery processing units along with household biogas plants.

IORA in collaboration with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) implemented the initiative ‘Smokeless Biomass Briquetting’ in Sikkim. This intervention was a part of the USAID sponsored Partnership for Land Use (Forest-PLUS) Programme. The key objective of the pilot project was to reduce fuelwood consumption (household-level cooking and heating) leading to conservation and enhancement of Sikkim’s forest ecosystems that support agriculture and livelihoods. It promoted a new locally-made and cost-effective technology that converts biomass waste into a clean fuel called “Biomass Briquette” or “Bio-briquette” (alternative clean fuel that reduces the extraction and consumption of fuelwood as a key source of energy).
It also provides a solution to agricultural waste and invasive species, which can be used as biomass inputs.

IORA formulated India’s first successful household waste management project – India Organic Waste Management Programme (IOWMP). The project promotes household organic waste management through installation of biogas plants at household, community and institutional levels. IOWMP’s value chain ensures timely delivery, training on usage, rapid installation, maintenance and monitoring. In partnership with Biotech Renewable Energy, we distributed over 20,000 plants across India.