We will work with rural and remote communities in Central Australia and South India to identify barriers and promote the use of solar energy. We will yarn with communities to collect and communicate examples of clean energy projects already operating in rural and remote communities; identify barriers and enablers for increased adoption of clean domestic energy solutions; co-design in ways to communicate their health, environmental, and economic benefits in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities; and enhance collaboration on clean energy solutions between these communities in Australia and India.
Australia and India are similar in our huge potential to generate affordable clean electricity from solar energy systems. While the economic, environmental and health benefits from a transition to renewable energy are known, the technology is not easily available to all communities in these countries. Most rural households in India use solid fuels, while many remote and Aboriginal communities in Australia have little choice but to rely on polluting and expensive diesel for energy generation.
This project will increase access and adoption of domestic solar systems and reduce polluting fuel use in rural and remote Australia and India, contributing to cleaner air, affordable and improved energy security, and better health outcomes for rural, remote and Indigenous communities in both countries.
The project will run over two years. In that time, consultation with communities and businesses about their knowledge of clean energy and co-design ways of promotion, such as through local artwork and school competitions. The project team will also promote knowledge exchange and communication between communities, businesses, health practitioners, non-governmental organisations, researchers and other local stakeholders to promote business opportunities, and strengthen research and development and cooperation in the clean energy sector.
The Australia India 'Unnati' Research Collaboration Grants (Unnati Research Collaboration Grants) were aimed at boosting and deepening existing research collaboration between the two countries. The grant awarded an additional $30,000 to the CE4HEAL team to continue and expand the research as well as to support new partnerships. The Unnati grants were administered by the Australia India Institute and funded by the Australian Government Department of Education (Unnati Research Collaboration Grants | ARCH-India, n.d.).
The CE4HEAL Unnati expansion developed a demonstration project on the effectiveness of solar microgrids to mitigate environmental change and improve air quality, and community health and welfare in rural India.
The Unnati project also facilitated consultations with a diverse group of local stakeholders, including policy makers and local community members, and technical experts from IIT Madras and e-Hands Energy. This collaborative project was designed to assess the practical challenges and opportunities surrounding the implementation of a solar microgrid in a rural village, ensuring that the outcomes of the study were grounded in the local context and aligned with broader policy goals.
Ford L.P., Matthews V., Vardoulakis S., 2022. Connection to Country has role in climate adaptation. 360info
Vardoulakis S., Matthews V., Ford L.P., Mathew S., Joyce C.A., Nagendra S., Martin K., 2023. Danger of poor housing in remote communities. 360info.
Vardoulakis, S., Nagendra, S., Ford, L. P., Matthews, V., Mathew, S., Joyce, C., Vasudevan, K., Zander, K., Joshy, A., Mitra, S., Indu, G., Shekar, S., Sharma, P., Mukherjee, B., Borah, P., Chawla, P., & Vine, K. (2023). Clean Energy for Healthy Environments and Lives: Rural and Remote Community Leadership in Clean Energy Solutions for Australia and India. ISEE Conference Abstracts, 2023 (1) - 35th Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology in Taiwan from 17 - 21 Sept 2023. https://doi.org/10.1289/isee.2023.OP-005.
Mathew, S., Bhatta, M., Baliva, G., Matthews, V., Zander, K. K., Joshy, A. L., ... & Vardoulakis, S. (2024). Why are solar microgrids not the norm in remote Central Australia? Exploring local perception on solar energy and health. Journal of Cleaner Production, 144370.
Das, S., Indu, G., Nagendra, S., & Vardoulakis, S. (2025). Comparative Analysis of Indoor Air Quality and Health Risk Assessment in Academic Workspaces in India and Australia. EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr – 2 May 2025, EGU25-13038.
PRAKRITI Newsletters:
The CE4HEAL initiative hosted a series of annual online competitions to engage local school and college students in raising awareness about critical environmental and health issues in India (Tamil Nadu) and Australia (Northern Territory). These events, organized in celebration of the World Environment Day (WED) and the Indian International Conference on Air Quality Management (IICAQM), provided platforms for young minds to express their creativity through drawings, 1-minute videos, and technical posters.
World Environment Day 2022; World Environment Day 2023; World Environment Day 2024