Harish Hande with his Selco Solar has abolished the myth that the poor cannot afford sustainable technologies and that social ventures cannot be run as commercial entities. Mr Harish who is a Magsaysay Award winner with a PhD in energy engineering from the University of Massachusetts has made solar energy more affordable to the poor and weaker sections of society by linking solar lighting systems to bank financing.

Selco Solar, this for-profit social enterprise from last 17 years has been lighting up low-income homes, providing sustainable energy solutions and financial services. It has sold, serviced and financed solar products to 1.5lakh homes in Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar and Bengal. It offers guarantee mechanisms so the poor have access to loans, and rental models for hawkers and slum-dwellers. In fact, Selco has made solar energy more affordable to the poor and weaker sections of society by linking solar lighting systems to bank financing. This allows them to pay for the system in affordable instalments.

Moreover, Harish's company that he set up in 1995 has product portfolio which includes lighting (CFL and LED), water heaters and inverters, as well as after-sales service and support. In the last fiscal, it reported revenues of about Rs 16 crore. It seems Selco doesn't manufacture its products — it sources components and assembles them together and that it's been able to provide affordable alternative energy to many with no access to regular power. Its partnerships with rural banks, NGOs and farmer cooperatives help its customers obtain credit.

Now, it seems through its R&D arm Selco Labs, it is exploring how wind energy can be harnessed and transferred to the poor. The R&D unit is working on product innovations which could be powered by both solar and wind energy.

It's indeed a Noble job, by the Noble man!

AW:Samrat Biswas