South Asia

Off-grid power for lighting and cooking

 When the night falls in India, millions of people must resort to kerosene lamps or firewood or paraffin candles to light their homes.

But these old-style products give poor lighting, produce greenhouse gases, generate indoor air pollution, and are bad for health and the environment. Anyone with an affordable, effective, and climate-friendly alternative has many potential customers.

 Many off-grid lighting product manufacturers in India and other countries are looking for viable ways to enter this market. The challenge is to bring their products to end-users in a sustainable way. Doing this, and much more, is the goal of IFC’s new Lighting India program, operated in partnership with the US and Italy. It will spark private sector involvement, building markets that provide affordable, modern off-grid lighting to low-income communities across India.

Read more