Can Rural People in the Developing World Become a New Market for Solar Power?

Solar powered devices can be extremely beneficial to rural, poor communities in areas of Africa, Asia, and throughout the developing world. These areas are quickly emerging as a market for clean energy technologies. This is one way to improve the kind of development that has been present in poor, rural communities for many years. Instead of simply throwing money at them, some charities are now funding small, local businesses that sell solar solutions to rural communities at affordable rates. For-profit enterprises, such as d.light, are taking advantage of this market and designing products specifically for use by consumers in these communities. d.light solar’s mission is to manufacture and distribute solar lights and power products to those in the developing world without access to reliable power sources. d.light is already serving over 40 countries and aims to change the lives of 100 million people by 2020. This company’s newest innovations, including improved solar panels and longer lasting batteries, may be the beginning of an entirely new industry in the developing world.

Source: treehugger.com, How the Rural Poor are Becoming a Market for Solar Power