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Baikampady Mangalore Microgrid

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations6
System facts19
Sources reviewed4
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

SELCO India commissioned a small direct-current solar microgrid in April 2014 for a 75-home informal labor colony in the Baikampady industrial estate north of Mangalore. The documented design combined 1.2 kWp of PV, a nominal 19.2 kWh battery bank, grid-assisted charging, and 96 VDC distribution for efficient lighting, phone charging, three fans, and one television. Canara Bank financed the system through a loan to the property owner, who collected service payments with rent. Public evidence located in this review documents implementation through 2015 but not the system's later operating condition.

Research status
Commissioned in April 2014 and documented as implemented in a 2015 SELCO site summary. No reliable independent post-2015 operating or decommissioning evidence was found through July 2026, so present operating status is unknown.
Historical classification
Community
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
12.95394, 74.80714
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Baikampady Mangalore Microgrid?

6 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

Canara Bank

Local lender that financed the system through a loan to the colony's property owner. [3][4]

Organization

EmmVee

PV module manufacturer identified in SELCO's documented equipment schedule. [4]

Organization

Power One

Supplier of the custom solar/grid 96 VDC charging unit identified in SELCO's site summary. [4]

Organization

Primetech

Battery manufacturer identified in SELCO's documented equipment schedule. [4]

Organization

SELCO

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

SELCO India

Designer and implementer of the solar microgrid; its site documentation also identifies the component configuration and service model. [3][4]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Solar
1.2 [1]
Storage
1600 Ah [1]
PV capacity
1.2 kWp, configured as four 300 W, 24 V modules in series [3][4]
Battery bank
19.2 kWh nominal at 96 VDC: eight 12 V, 200 Ah batteries in series [4]
Customers and connected appliances
75 households; documented aggregate service was 90 LED lights, 75 phone chargers, three fans, and one television [4]
Household service tiers
60 homes received one 3 W LED tube and charging point; 15 homes received two 3 W LED tubes plus provision for a television/set-top box or fan [3]
Documented customer charge
INR 140-200 per month, collected with rent to cover the bank loan payment and service costs [4]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

PV modules

EmmVee

Four 300 W, 24 V modules connected in series for a 1.2 kWp array. [4]

02

Battery bank

Primetech

Eight 12 V, 200 Ah batteries in series, yielding a nominal 96 V, 19.2 kWh bank. [4]

03

Hybrid charger

Power One

Custom solar-and-grid 96 VDC charger with solar-battery-grid source priority. [4]

04

Distribution and protection

Model not publicly disclosed

96 VDC aluminum distribution conductors in PVC conduit, copper service drops, and fuse protection; loads were switched by a manual central timer. [4]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • General

    A solar PV micro-grid was therefore suggested, making use of the land-owner to build a sustainable model. [1]

  • General

    PV and Battery Location 15 larger houses 60 houses Open well Industrial Area Good road access Coconut plantation Residential Area The site Sea [1]

  • Management

    Data-logger to record and monitor load use and solar generation 15 larger houses 60 smaller houses [1]

  • Storage

    Batteries: 8x 200Ah, 12V, series connection, Primetech Charge controller: Customer made Solar + Grid 96VDC charger, Solar-Battery-Grid priority, Power One [1]

  • Architecture

    The microgrid used 96 VDC distribution and prioritized solar, then battery, then grid-assisted charging. This avoided household AC inverters for the small DC loads. [4]

  • Business model

    Because a conventional grid extension to the informal settlement was impractical, the property owner borrowed from Canara Bank, owned the shared plant, and recovered the monthly payment through rent/service collections, displacing kerosene lighting. [3][4]

  • Monitoring

    SELCO documented a local data logger but no remote monitoring connection. [4]

  • Evidence gap

    Searches using the colony, industrial-estate, component, and developer aliases found no reliable operating update after the 2015 SELCO documentation. Current status should not be inferred from undated catalog reproductions. [3][4]

Provenance

4 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2021-02-25

  2. [2]
    microgrid in India

    microgridprojects.com · Archived source · captured 2021-02-25

  3. [3]
    A labour colony gets solar power

    Vikalp Sangam · Secondary research

  4. [4]
    Micro-Grid Site Summaries

    SELCO Foundation / Jonathan Bassett · Primary source

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