 Several unelectrified villages have recently used pongamia oil, simple processing techniques, and diesel generators to create their own grid systems to run water pumps and electric lighting.In 1997, the Indian Institute of Science started researching and promoting the use of the seed oil as a vegetable oil fuel for stationary generators for electricity and irrigation pumps in the rural areas of Karnataka and Andhra.The program, SuTRA, successfully demonstrated the sustainability of such oil use in several villages all over India.