From solar lanterns to home systems and minigrids, distributed renewable energy (DRE) has become increasingly competitive as an alternative to grid extension in household electrification across many parts of the emerging world. We explore how DRE use in Indian households has evolved against the backdrop of massive public investment in grid extension. Using two rounds of the 2015–2018 ACCESS household data from six Indian states, we estimate the impact of household electrification via grid extension on DRE ownership and use. We find that demand for solar microgrids and minigrids has all but disappeared, whereas demand for solar home systems and lanterns as backup solutions to intermittent grid electricity supply continues to grow. Most notably, while grid electrification has increased from 66% to 85%, solar lantern ownership has grown from 1.2% to 5%. The use of DRE as a backup solution to government electrification schemes seems driven by changes in quality of electricity supply. These analyses confirm that intermittent grid electricity supply is key to understanding the solar lantern's continued popularity. The results show that where population density, household income, and government commitment all favor grid extension, the most affordable DRE technologies can still play an important role. These lessons offer insights into the development of solar-based lighting markets in other regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where grid extension continues but grid electricity remains intermittent in supply.

从太阳能灯笼到家庭系统和微型电网，分布式可再生能源 (DRE) 作为替代新兴世界许多地区家庭电气化电网扩展的替代方案，已变得越来越具有竞争力。我们探讨了在大规模公共投资电网扩展的背景下，印度家庭使用 DRE 的情况如何演变。使用来自印度六个邦的两轮 2015-2018 年 ACCESS 家庭数据，我们估计了通过电网扩展实现家庭电气化对 DRE 所有权和使用的影响。我们发现对太阳能微电网和微型电网的需求几乎消失了，而对太阳能家庭系统和灯笼作为间歇性电网供电的备用解决方案的需求继续增长。最值得注意的是，虽然电网电气化已从 66% 增加到 85%，但太阳能灯的拥有量已从 1 增加。2% 到 5%。使用 DRE 作为政府电气化计划的备用解决方案似乎受到电力供应质量变化的推动。这些分析证实，间歇性电网供电是了解太阳能灯持续流行的关键。结果表明，在人口密度、家庭收入和政府承诺都支持电网扩展的情况下，最实惠的 DRE 技术仍然可以发挥重要作用。这些课程提供了对其他地区太阳能照明市场发展的见解，例如撒哈拉以南非洲地区，那里的电网扩展仍在继续，但电网电力供应仍然时断时续。这些分析证实，间歇性电网供电是了解太阳能灯持续流行的关键。结果表明，在人口密度、家庭收入和政府承诺都支持电网扩展的情况下，最实惠的 DRE 技术仍然可以发挥重要作用。这些课程提供了对其他地区太阳能照明市场发展的见解，例如撒哈拉以南非洲地区，那里的电网扩展仍在继续，但电网电力供应仍然时断时续。这些分析证实，间歇性电网供电是了解太阳能灯持续流行的关键。结果表明，在人口密度、家庭收入和政府承诺都支持电网扩展的情况下，最实惠的 DRE 技术仍然可以发挥重要作用。这些课程提供了对其他地区太阳能照明市场发展的见解，例如撒哈拉以南非洲地区，那里的电网扩展仍在继续，但电网电力供应仍然时断时续。