From Rice Husks to AC Power
For almost 15 years, Husk Power Systems has been changing the way vulnerable communities access reliable, quality, and affordable power. CEO Manoj Sinha co-founded the company in 2008, to pioneer an off-grid power solution for rural customers. The microgrid uses biomass gasification from waste rice husk to generate 6-7 hours of renewable electricity per day. While the company grew quickly in its early years, it soon learned that customers wanted “on-demand” reliable power — day and night — to meet all their energy needs.
Creating flexible, 100% renewable energy
In 2015, Husk developed a breakthrough hybrid microgrid that, by adding solar and battery storage to biomass gasification, could generate 24/7 net-zero electricity. Today, Husk is the leading rural energy services provider in weak-grid and off-grid communities in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa with about 150 sites in India, Nigeria, and Tanzania. And in January 2022, the company <span signed a UN Energy Compact pledging to build at least 5,000 microgrids by 2030, benefiting more than 10 million people and reducing diesel consumption by 700 million gallons. In June, Forbes featured Husk for scaling clean, renewable energy solutions to improve climate resilience in emerging markets. Said Manoj, “The communities where we work are the most vulnerable to climate shocks, so we are working to embed climate resilience into our business model.”
By understanding how rural customers aspired to use power, we developed an energy solution that gave them the freedom and flexibility they desired.
– Manoj Sinha
The company has been named Best Smart Grid Project of the Year by both the Asian Power Awards and the India Smart Grid Forum Innovation Awards. And Manoj was selected as an Influential Leader of the Global Power & Energy Elites 2022 and awarded the Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Miller Center and Husk
Miller Center is proud to be part of Husk’s journey. Manoj serves on our Social Enterprise Advisory Council and first attended a Miller Center accelerator in 2009. He returned in 2013 in the midst of the major business shift that ultimately led to the company’s 24/7 hybrid solution. Manoj received one of Miller Center’s first Impact Excellence Awards for Husk’s Power’s far-reaching impact and active partnership. As Manoj shared, “I am incredibly grateful for Miller Center and our mentors, including Jeff Miller and Brad Mattson. Because of the program, I recruited Brad as Chairman of the Board of Husk. He has brought so much value to the company in the last nine years.” Miller Center looks forward to continuing to celebrate Husk as the company lights the way and mitigates climate risk in Asia and Africa.
