Page 12 - Lighting a Billion Lives - Developing Pathways for Energy Access
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Solar Home Light Systems (SHLS) that gives an individual ownership on the light, that is, each system
provides a household with a facility of two light points and a point for mobile charging. At some
places, these solar home light systems are being integrated with improved cookstoves and are called
Integrated Domestic Energy Systems (IDES).
Recently, TERI has also developed Solar Multi Utility Units which incorporates the ability of taking up
a productive load so that village level micro enterprises such as spices grinding unit, rice/wheat mill,
and an artisan cottage industry can run on a clean, reliable, and affordable source of energy supply.
All these above mentioned technologies are delivered either through fee for service model or loan
finance model. While the former involves a large share of capital costs supported by grant, the latter
is sustained through a person operating a solar enterprise as its own enterprise by facilitating loans
through financial institutions and a partial cost of the enterprise is covered by the subsidy through TERI
and/or the partner organizations, including government agencies.
In terms of financial mechanism, TERI has graduated from a grant-based model to an equity and
investment-based model. Now, there is significant community involvement as co-funding. There have
been constant efforts in way of shifting from total grant to a mix of Grant: Equity: Debt. In this regard,
there has already been a gradual shift from 90:0:0 to 70:20:10 or 60:20:20 and by 2017, TERI aims to
have this mix of proportion to 30:30:40.
Programme Scale
Under the LaBL programme, the solar lighting has impacted over 4.5 million lives by illuminating over
898,000 households in over 3,100 villages across 13 countries of Africa and Asia and in 24 states of
India. In all, 170,000 solar lanterns have been disseminated, 17,700 households have solar micro grid
connections, and 7,600 SHS and 27,700 IDES are presently in operation. This involves an efficient
network of 34 technical partners, 114 partner organizations, and over 250 energy entrepreneurs.
Impacts
The scenario of social and economic backwardness changed noticeably after the advent of solar
lighting provided through various models of LaBL programme to many rural un-electrified or poorly
electrified households as well as schools, productive enterprises, and health centres. LaBL’s solar
products have not only augmented access to modern lighting but have provided its users with a
range of co-benefits such as considerable reduction in the kerosene usage, increase in study hours
of children, reduced health effects due to kerosene smoke, and increased sense of safety due to easy
mobility and to be able to deter animals from approaching human settlements. The villagers had to
travel over long distances to get the fuel which is no more the case, and are now able to carry out
household chores in the dark and charge cellphones at their homes, thus, saving the expense incurred
on cellphone charging from a shop in the market.
Even the accidents resulting from the usage of kerosene lamps such as house burning and children
getting hurt have drastically reduced. Further, the electrification in rural health centres, equipped with
solar energy, has benefitted by providing lighting for extended period and/or emergency night health
services, safe child delivery, enhanced security and the local storage of vaccines in solar-powered
refrigerators. There is a direct livelihood benefit in the form of ‘green jobs’ for the entrepreneurs
managing a SCS by earning through renting. Many of the communities are using this lighting to
enhance their business hours post sunset for activities like betel leaf farming, sal-leaf plate making,
10
provides a household with a facility of two light points and a point for mobile charging. At some
places, these solar home light systems are being integrated with improved cookstoves and are called
Integrated Domestic Energy Systems (IDES).
Recently, TERI has also developed Solar Multi Utility Units which incorporates the ability of taking up
a productive load so that village level micro enterprises such as spices grinding unit, rice/wheat mill,
and an artisan cottage industry can run on a clean, reliable, and affordable source of energy supply.
All these above mentioned technologies are delivered either through fee for service model or loan
finance model. While the former involves a large share of capital costs supported by grant, the latter
is sustained through a person operating a solar enterprise as its own enterprise by facilitating loans
through financial institutions and a partial cost of the enterprise is covered by the subsidy through TERI
and/or the partner organizations, including government agencies.
In terms of financial mechanism, TERI has graduated from a grant-based model to an equity and
investment-based model. Now, there is significant community involvement as co-funding. There have
been constant efforts in way of shifting from total grant to a mix of Grant: Equity: Debt. In this regard,
there has already been a gradual shift from 90:0:0 to 70:20:10 or 60:20:20 and by 2017, TERI aims to
have this mix of proportion to 30:30:40.
Programme Scale
Under the LaBL programme, the solar lighting has impacted over 4.5 million lives by illuminating over
898,000 households in over 3,100 villages across 13 countries of Africa and Asia and in 24 states of
India. In all, 170,000 solar lanterns have been disseminated, 17,700 households have solar micro grid
connections, and 7,600 SHS and 27,700 IDES are presently in operation. This involves an efficient
network of 34 technical partners, 114 partner organizations, and over 250 energy entrepreneurs.
Impacts
The scenario of social and economic backwardness changed noticeably after the advent of solar
lighting provided through various models of LaBL programme to many rural un-electrified or poorly
electrified households as well as schools, productive enterprises, and health centres. LaBL’s solar
products have not only augmented access to modern lighting but have provided its users with a
range of co-benefits such as considerable reduction in the kerosene usage, increase in study hours
of children, reduced health effects due to kerosene smoke, and increased sense of safety due to easy
mobility and to be able to deter animals from approaching human settlements. The villagers had to
travel over long distances to get the fuel which is no more the case, and are now able to carry out
household chores in the dark and charge cellphones at their homes, thus, saving the expense incurred
on cellphone charging from a shop in the market.
Even the accidents resulting from the usage of kerosene lamps such as house burning and children
getting hurt have drastically reduced. Further, the electrification in rural health centres, equipped with
solar energy, has benefitted by providing lighting for extended period and/or emergency night health
services, safe child delivery, enhanced security and the local storage of vaccines in solar-powered
refrigerators. There is a direct livelihood benefit in the form of ‘green jobs’ for the entrepreneurs
managing a SCS by earning through renting. Many of the communities are using this lighting to
enhance their business hours post sunset for activities like betel leaf farming, sal-leaf plate making,
10
