Sun on my roof

Solar PV has more than its share of detractors but one cannot simply ignore the way it is bringing light into people's lives. Take for instance in Bangaldesh, where Faroukh lives miles from the nearest mains power. His mobile, like the lights in his home and in his wife’s sewing workshop, are charged by solar electricity, courtesy of a small PV panel attached to his roof. He bought it from Grameen Shakti (‘village energy’) – an offshoot of the hugely successful Grameen Bank.

The savings on fuel costs of kerosene lanterns easily cover the monthly repayments. The clean, bright solar lamps mean that he and his wife can work into the evenings – more than doubling their income as a result – while the phone grants them access to the wider economy in a way unimaginable just a decade ago. Now, when Faroukh hauls in his nets, the first thing he does is ring round various ports to get the best possible price for his catch: a small example of low-carbon development redistributing economic power in favor of the poor.

Grameen Shakti has now installed close on half a million solar home systems across the country, and confidently expects to hit one million by 2012. With over 30 million families marooned off grid in Bangladesh alone, the potential for future growth is enormous.

Another organisation Shidulai has a fleet of solar boats, which double as all-purpose advice centers, connected by webcam to health and agricultural experts hundreds of miles away.

Now, isn't that somehting if more and more organisations could get into the job? Instead of aiming at getting everyone into the grid, such units are more easily set up and renewable energy-based.