By Dan Estabrook – July 21, 2008 (TNN)
More than 1.6 billion people live beyond the electricity grid, leaving them to scrounge for power with car batteries, candles, kerosene, dry cells, generators, and the like. These solutions are dangerous, not scalable, and just not efficient to provide the power required to work and make a living.
SELCO-India created a wireless solar power system for people in India who do not have access to the power grid. The company has deployed the roof-mounted solar power setup, which gives families the opportunity to work and study in the evenings, in Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Vietnam. The company says that it uses a three-pronged approach to deploy its product in developing markets. First, it produces small scale wireless PV (photovoltaic) technology, which is easily shipped and deployed at its destination. Second, the company educates and trains local folks to maintain, repair, and support its products. Finally, the company offers attractive financing to communities or individuals who seek their solution.
The company’s mission summarizes its belief in doing good: Our mission is to empower the lives of under-served populations throughout the world by selling, servicing and financing services that improves their quality of life in a holistic manner.
One of the benefactors of this portable solar technology is Mallika Basnayake. The owner of a roadside fruit stand in Sri Lanka, Malika would open her shop at dawn and close at dusk since the single kerosene lamp she used was not powerful enough to keep the stand open at night. After installing the PV solar system at the roadside stand, Malika was able to leave the shop open late into the evening, growing her business (as it was the single stand open on a popular road late at night) and providing light for her daughter to complete her homework. Her daughter is exceling in her classes due to the additional time she has for homework.
SELCO-India’s solar solution is definitely making a difference for rural and poverty-stricken communities who otherwise would never connect to the power grid. For more information on the company’s products, please visit it’s website.
Watch a cool video about the company here.
“Technology Meets Good” is a regular Monday feature at Tonic News Network. If you have cool examples of technology doing good in our world, please email dan@tonicgen.com.