No abstract

Much has been written about the daily challenge for survival faced by countless millions of developing world families and the overdeveloped world has offered a number of solutions by which those at the base of the economic pyramid (BOP) can help themselves. Light Up The World (LUTW), the global leader in bringing Renewable Energy (RE) based Solid State Lighting (SSL) to the developing world, offers yet another solution, and one that comes with a very high probability of success. In this paper we discuss: the critical role played by micro credit (banking for the poor); a typical example of a developing world community and their lighting needs and expenditures; how SSL can contribute positively to all eight of the Millennium Development Goals; the micro and macroeconomics of SSL at the BOP, its numerous societal benefits and its potential perverse outcomes; and thought there will always be a role for the donation based model, it is only through the market model that safe, healthy and affordable SSL will reach the majority of the BOP, such are the staggering numbers involved. LUTW's fundamental goal, through the facilitation of RE based SSL, is to improve the quality of life of those, who through no fault of their own, find themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty.

No abstract

Worldwide, 1.4 billion people virtually live in darkness after sunset. New lighting technologies, such as light emitting diodes (LED), powered by renewable energy allow non-electrified communities to access for the first time in their lives clean, durable, affordable, and higher quality lighting service. The international NGOs play an important intermediary role in diffusion of these technologies to off-grid communities and commonly operate via development partnerships. With the goal of providing insights into the nature of these partnerships and factors that influence their effectiveness, the exploratory case study was conducted which examined and compared development partnerships promoting renewable energy powered lighting technologies in off-grid indigenous communities in Talamanca, Costa Rica. The study acknowledged the catalytic role of the international NGOs and emphasized the centrality of locally embedded organizations and their capacities in successful implementation of development interventions. A set of factors was identified that contribute to the effectiveness of the development partnership in renewable energy in off-grid communities.

No abstract