Three Dutch ‘energy entrepreneurs’ Support Villages Harness Solar Power

Three Dutch “energy entrepreneurs” have produced 100 women entrepreneurs in about 50 villages across Bankey Bazaar in Gaya, Bihar, thereby driving 1,500 households. Founded in 2011, the start-up built fresh and sustainable energy solutions for India’s poor to let villagers to generate and segment energy in a simple yet effective way done “smart grids in rural India” and light up powerless villages of the country.
“Design Driven Entrepreneurship” by Evan Mertens, is the founders of “Rural Spark”, told, “We zeroed in on employing in India as the energy progress did not concur with its economic growth and numerous places here not have access to electricity. We reflect that the future is where an ‘internet of Energy’ will be an exercise. Over a kit cover solar panels, 12 chargeable solar led lamps and a battery pack, 2 small bulbs that cost up to Rs 20,000 — a television, fan, security lamps can be route and phones can be charged in such ‘powerless’ villages.”
Mertens told, “Part of self-help sets (SHGs) in villages, these women entrepreneurs have found exciting ‘business models’ like rent out rooms for people to use for their electricity needs, deliver mobile charging for anywhere between Rs 2 and Rs 25. Few are shop owners who can keep their shops open for slower in the absence of electricity and a few are making money by letting out on lamps. An energy entrepreneur can attain 60 lamps and rent it out and make Rs 5,000 a month. The perks of doing this are contained safe lighting and people save near to Rs 200-250 on purchasing kerosene a month and just covering out just Rs 90 now and also gain social welfares like ‘increased status’ in the village. We sell product done distribution partners and a prepaid model wherein entrepreneurs pay Rs 2,000 as monthly fee and rent out uses like the lamps or the electricity to villagers. This technology was required because the villagers did not have electricity or the excellence of the network in their village was not efficient.”
As the firm rolled out their main complete manufactured kit and sold five kits last month, it is now watching at partnerships with state governments, NGOs, micro-finance institutions and increase funding of close to $3 million. Looking toward maximum of the north Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and North-East states and African nations as future markets, Mertens believed that the early discussions proceeding scale of this model was on with Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) here for a “pilot run” in Bihar.