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Lighting
A Billion Lives For Rural Citizens
BY
PRAKASH JOSHI
NEW
DELHI (IDN) - Seizing on its experience with renewable energy technology
and its deep understanding of rural needs, TERI (The Energy Research
Institute), in 2007, made a commitment to eradicate the crucial aspect
of energy access through a targeted campaign called ‘Lighting a
Million Lives’.
This was later expanded to ‘Lighting a Billion Lives’ to bring light
into the lives of many more people in India by displacing kerosene and
paraffin lanterns with solar lighting devices, and providing
opportunities for livelihoods both at the individual and village level.
Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) is a fee-for service model where solar
charging stations are set-up in villages under the charge of rural
entrepreneurs and solar lanterns are provided on rental basis to
households and enterprises. The initiative makes it possible for people
to get clean, healthy and adequate light in their homes without any
pollution or emission, and at a cost that is entirely affordable.
The campaign started with illuminating more than 200 households in
Kakdwip, a small town in southern West Bengal in the year 2008. Today,
it has touched lives across 200 villages, benefiting more than 10000
households. The following are key milestones achieved.
- At a scale tried first time ever in India, installation of 200 solar
charging stations across 12 states of India; around 10,000 solar
lanterns in use benefiting more than 50,000 lives.
- Recognized as one of the leading solar lighting programs by the U.S.
Department of Energy at COP15 (climate change conference) in Copenhagen
in December 2009
- Creation of Green Jobs through rural entrepreneurship as solar
charging station operators
- 25 grassroots partners leveraging established rural entrepreneurial
capacities
- 19 national and international renowned technology partners launched
LaBL Partners in Technology Forum
- 6 new lantern models usher latest technology into the lives of rural
communities
- Creation of a pool of 120 technically trained entrepreneurs created
with around 1000 sensitized users; capacity building of 130 NGO
representatives
- Green media events - Greenathon and IAA (International Advertising
Association) - garnered support of 1500 LaBL Patrons towards the
campaign.
TRIUMPH OVER CHALLENGES
From the outset, LaBL has been committed towards a path of innovation
and development. Many lighting programs in the recent past had failed as
a result of their narrow focus and inability to adapt and change in
response to field challenges. It would not have been possible for LaBL
to accomplish what it has today without overcoming the following main
challenges.
Making technology affordable: Technology is pivotal in providing clean,
efficient, and affordable lighting solutions to the rural masses. With
an objective to ensure new technologies to usher into the lives of these
communities and to bring down the cost without compromising on the
quality, LaBL has incessantly worked towards continuous improvements in
products and procedures at all levels from CFL to high powered LEDs to
better optics to reliable maintenance-free and environment-friendly
storage to improved electronics and sturdy switches.
It is in line with this, that the U.S. Department of Energy recognized
LaBL as one of the leading solar LED based lighting programs in the
world in Copenhagen last year. Back home, MNRE (Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy) sees LaBL has “an interesting example” of 'how
innovations can work wonders to take state-of-the-art technology to
homes without electricity’.
Innovating delivery channels: With the total cost of the campaign
running into several billion dollars, finding innovative financing
mechanisms to upscale the campaign led to the conceptualization of
innovative delivery models for LaBL.
These included, firstly the fee for service model for the bottom of the
pyramid which has already been successfully rolled in 200 villages.
Second is the Loan/Equity model for rural enterprises.
Last but not the least is by virtue of developing strategic linkages
with government initiatives, noteworthy being support from MNRE for
implementing LaBL across 300 villages and extending mobile charging
facility through LaBL solar charging stations in 5000 villages with the
support of Department of Telecommunications.
Building Capacities: Over the time, building the capacity of users,
entrepreneurs and partner organizations about the campaign and its
components which included technical training was inherently felt to be
one of the very important aspects of sustaining the campaign.
It was essential for the communities to realize that the onus of
sustaining the initiative in their village lies upon them. With this
objective, about 53 training and capacity building programmes were
conducted across 10 states in India sensitizing more than 1000 LaBL
users, training approximately 119 entrepreneurs, and building capacities
of more than 130 NGO representatives.
Strengthening Partnerships: TERI's commitment to work towards global
sustainable development, creating innovative solutions for a better
tomorrow, has embarked upon a mission to bring light into the lives of a
billion people, not only in India, but across the whole world.
Effective collaboration and partnership with grassroots partners is the
key towards transforming this dream into a reality. Over the past two
years, LaBL has created its own network of organizations that has
provided base to not only sustain the initiative but has also built
institutional capacity of these organizations towards replicating the
model in other regions.
As many as 25 grassroots partners are leveraging established rural
entrepreneurial capacities across India. Further, in a bid to catalyze
technology, innovative, and cost-effective lighting solutions for rural
market in a sustainable manner, LaBL under its aegis launched a unique
forum called LaBL Partners in Technology (PaT) comprising of 19
companies pioneering in the field of lighting, semi-conductor,
photovoltaic, and electronics industry under the campaign.
IMPACT
When there was light, it was indeed a true blessing for the denizens of
200 villages. “Earlier, we had light only when the sun shone, now the
sun shines in our village even at night”, says an elderly village lady
in Govindorampur in West Bengal, India. “I spent five rupees earlier
to light my house using a wax candle. Now I pay same amount as rent to
light my house using a solar lantern that’s much brighter and
safer”, says Ayesha Begum a resident of Sahsoul in Bihar, India.
Light has become a synonym to prosperity by providing direct livelihood
opportunity to over 200 entrepreneurs as solar lantern charging station
operators, of which 20 percent are women. These operators earn about
Rupees 3000 (USD 62) per month from renting the lanterns. “This has
brought me a new source to earn money which is boosting my
confidence”, says the exuberant lady entrepreneur Rohitaswari Devi
from Rajasthan, India.
The lanterns have been facilitating indirect livelihood opportunities
after dusk for weaving, sewing, vending, tuition centres, and so on. In
many villages in India, the campaign has facilitated small-scale
industry activities such as betel-leaf farming in West Bengal,
eco-tourism activities in the tribal areas of Orissa, basket-making
cottage industry in Rajasthan, and bamboo crafts in Assam.
Setting an example of public-private-partnership, a renowned PSU has
come forward to light up a government residential school under Sarva
Shikhsa Abhiyan in Chattisgarh helping the tribal girl students in
overcoming the impediments to learning due to non-availability or
erratic supply of electricity after dusk.
Over the period of past one year, each solar lantern disseminated under
LaBL has displaced about 4-5 litres of kerosene consumed by a typical
household per month, thereby mitigating 0.145 tonne CO2.
[Source:
IDN-InDepthNews
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