Solar Lamps in India are one of the most successful solar products in India as they provide economical value without requiring huge subsidies.Note India’s Solar Mission JNNSM mainly focuses on electricity generation from solar energy and not on other products like solar lamps which benefit the poor.JNNSM is also quite deficient on solar products for the poor like solar cookers and lighting.Under JNNSM solar subsidies are targeted towards installing 20 GW of solar power by 2022.However grassroot companies like D.Light and Selco have been working towards empowering the poor through solar energy through innovative products and services.The government instead of consulting arm chair experts on drafting India’s solar energy policy should have asked these firms for help.Instead now we have a Solar Policy which after one year of tendering will have to cancel most solar projects because of lack of ability and finance.
D.Light Design is one of the most successful solar lamp companies in India and has sold solar lamps in like S250 which also have a mobile charger.Note India despite its poverty has hundreds of millions of poor who have access to a mobile phone.But the lack of electricity access makes charging these mobile phones a huge problem.Having solar energy charge the mobile phones is a great idea and has made D.Light Design quite a success already.
The company has now come out with an affordable solar lamp priced at Rs 399 or $9 which will help millions more access the benefits of solar energy.Note with the average income of a majority of Indians being $2 a day,solar lamps even at $20 dollars are an impossible dream.By lowering the price point to $9,it will help get more at the bottom of the pyramid to buy these solar lamps.
The D.Light S1 has a crystalline silicon solar panel,a nickel battery and a LED Light.By combining solar energy with energy storage and LED,D.Light has managed to create a unique green lighting solution at such a low cost.More such products are needed in the Indian context to help reduces carbon emissions.
d.light S1 is an all-purpose, high-brightness solar LED light designed to make solar lighting available and affordable to all. Following in d.light’s tradition of quality and durability, it combines an attractive price point with functional design.d.light S1 provides up to 4 hours of light on a full day’s charge and uses highly efficient LEDs. It provides focused lighting that can be easily oriented in any direction, and is ideal for studying or working.d.light S1 can be fully charged in one day with the integrated solar panel, or it can be charged in a few hours through the AC power grid using any standard 2mm Nokia mobile charger.