WG Lighting for All

The Lighting for All working group

There’s a clear link between poverty and access to light: countries with the lowest levels of electrification often have the highest levels of poverty. Without lighting, nightfall often means that adults have to stop working and children have to stop studying—two critical activities that could otherwise help communities escape their burdens.

This working group is expanding access to solar lighting technologies among rural communities. Its goal is to link the international lighting industry (including storage, electrics and solar) with local system integrators, financers and service providers.

For local communities, this transfer of technological knowledge will strengthen their capabilities to design, develop and deliver high-efficiency, high-quality, reliable and affordable lighting products and services. For the industry, it will catalyze the undeveloped, high-growth rural lighting market by providing cutting-edge technologies and know-how adapted for local challenges.

By making these connections, this working group will build strategic partnerships to develop, finance, and deliver modern lighting products and services.

Planned Activities

• Technological innovations and knowledge transfer.
• Strengthening and expanding locally acceptable and replicable business models.
• Linking existing channels for delivery of technological and commercial services.

In the first year, these activities focus on exploring and strengthening existing business models, delivery channels and knowledge exchange in Pacific Island Countries, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam.

The working group will operate a “Core Group” and specific “Experts Group” with a mandate to scale-up from project to program mode and involve a larger and broader network.

Further Reading

Energy Policy on Solar Lanterns for domestic lighting in India: Viability of Central Charging Station Model prepared in June 2009