renewable energy with PV-Modules in India

Until recently, the siblings Shreerangamma and Hariprasad did their homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. Within a very short time, the gases from the inefficient, climate- and health-damaging kerosene lamp filled the hut. The mother Thumalamma remembers: In the evening it was already stressful, "cooking, cleaning, homework. We had to get everything done in less than two hours."

Renewable energy for the "untouchables"

The family belongs to the Dalits. The Dalits from the villages of India's Tumkur district live as "untouchables" at the bottom of the social hierarchy. They are outside the caste system and are therefore considered worthless and impure. They are subjected to constant discrimination. The Dalits own no land and work for a pittance in fields owned by rich landlords. They live in separate settlements some distance from the main village, where they have no electricity and no streetlights. The lack of electricity grid connection forces families to use unhealthy kerosene lamps as a source of light. However, the light from the kerosene lamps is so poor that activities after dark are almost impossible. Since the kerosene not only spreads harmful fumes but is also very costly, the income of Dalit families ishardly ever sufficient for more than two hours of light in the evening.

In order to improve the living conditions of the Dalit families in the Tumkur district, who depend on decentralized power supply, Rural Environment and Development Society (REDS), a joint project partner of Bread for the World and MISEREOR, is providing the households with solar lamps. The project will install a total of 4,163 photovoltaic systems on the families' huts. Each household will be equipped with one portable and three permanently installed LED lamps. This is expected to save 21,060 tons of CO2e over the 10-year project period.

Advantages of solar lamps

The introduction of solar lamps changed many things in the families' lives: The climate-friendly solar lamps help to provide a quality of light that is far superior to that of the unhealthy kerosene lamps. They also provide direct savings in CO2 emissions. Thanks to improved indoor air and light quality, the families now make better use of the evening hours: the children can read and study, and the women can do sewing in the evening to generate additional income.

Another plus point of the climate protection project is that the solar lamps create prospects for young people and especially women in the community. They are trained in the maintenance and repair of the lamps and are given responsibility. This gives them a professional perspective and enables them to earn their own income.

The project enables marginalized families to actively strengthen the economic development of their region and contribute to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations.

In the Gold Standard Register you can transparently view retired certificates and get an overview of the climate and development impacts of the certified project:

https://registry.goldstandard.org/projects/details/1303