 By Prakash Joshi
IDN-InDepth NewsFeature
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. (IDN-InDepthNews/17.03.2010)
2010 IDN-InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters
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http://www.teriin.org/index.php
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