Clean Energy

In India, electricity has not yet reached 45 million rural households. The gravity of the issue can be understood when the definition of ‘electrified’ is being considered. According to the criteria used by the power ministry, a village is considered electrified if electricity is provided in public places and at least 10% of households. This means that a village is considered electrified even if 90% of its households do not have electricity. Although currently, the electrification rate is high at 96%, 244 million or 19% of the population still does not have access to electricity as of 2016. (Environment Society). These people have to resort to the use of archaic sources of energy such as kerosene, diesel, wood-fired chulhas, etc., which not only results in huge government subsidies, but also results in substantial health and environmental hazards.

Dharmalife Response
As per a World Bank report, the cost of electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) is currently a quarter of what it was in 2009 and is set to fall another 66% by 2040. That means a dollar will buy 2.3 times as much solar energy in 2040 than it does today. Favouring its adoption, is the fact that India is in a fortuitous position to tap solar energy, with the country receiving 300 days of sunshine throughout the year. Additionally, solar lighting, substantially reduces health hazards by enabling replacement of kerosene lamps.
Dharmalife’s “Lighting up Young Minds” campaign, which has now metamorphed into “Beti Bachao, Roshni Badhao” campaign, addresses the issue of poor lighting in villages and promotes solar lights as a non-polluting source of lighting in villages, also making especially girls the torch bearers of behavious change in their villages.

Impact:
Dharmalife has provided access to Solar Lighting Solutions to more than 127,000 rural consumers, thus directly impacting the Carbon emissions in these areas.