Improved cookstoves, water filters, and solar lamps in India
Enabling women in vulnerable communities to make the energy transition
This project not only empowers women but also tackles social and environmental challenges to make a positive difference in people‘s lives and the environment.
Challenges in rural India
In India, the world’s most populous country, millions of people live below the poverty line. Many use kerosene lamps, which are harmful to the environment and their health, to light their homes, prepare meals over open fires, and boil contaminated water to make it drinkable. The fires produce heavy smoke that can lead to serious illness and even death. In India alone, 607,000 people die each year from indoor air pollution.
The open fires and kerosene lamps release significant amounts of carbon and require large amounts of wood for fuel, leading to deforestation. Almost a third of India’s landmass is already affected by degradation and desertification. Energy-efficient products are often expensive, and access is difficult in remote areas. This project improves access to solar lamps, water filters, and improved cookstoves in India, especially in regions where people suffer from extreme poverty.
How a climate project boosts clean energy and empowers women in India
This project enables women micro-entrepreneurs in rural areas to access funding for improved cookstoves, solar lamps, and water filters and helps build supply chains in remote regions. The women use these products for both their businesses and their homes. The money saved on fuel enables the women to repay the loans. Organised in groups, the women meet regularly to support each other, monitor satisfaction, and encourage the use of clean energy products. Each group has a clean energy leader who manages after-sales support in case the products need servicing or repair. Some women even work as clean energy demonstrators, travelling to nearby villages to educate others about the benefits of the new products.
Verified emission reductions
by replacing polluting practices
Impact
Improved cookstoves, solar lamps, and water filters financed with microloans
Project location
Countrywide, India
Standard
The project's impact
Latha, shop owner
“Frequent power cuts made it difficult for the children to study properly. So the children have benefited a lot from the solar lights. The solar lights are also very useful in my shop. Now I can serve my customers in the evenings, even if the power goes out.”
Mamta, solar customer
“[The solar lamp] used to affect our breathing and cause blackness in our house. Then we got a solar lamp and saw many benefits. What I like most is that it allows me to finish my work that didn’t get completed during the day at night. I can really take control of my work. My children can study at night; they have no difficulty studying. The light from the solar lamp spreads far, which is also great.”
Krishna Devi, improved cookstove customer
“With less wood, I can cook the same amount of food. You neither have to blow into it, nor is there smoke. With this stove I don’t have to go to the doctor. I am free of sickness.”
April Allderdice, co-founder and CEO, MicroEnergy Credits
“By empowering microentrepreneurs, we can drive positive environmental and social change while promoting financial inclusion.”
The project contributes to the following United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Affordable and clean energy
The project gives women access to funding to purchase energy-efficient appliances, such as water filters, solar lamps, and improved cookstoves. The new products replace practices that are harmful to the environment, such as cooking over open fires and using kerosene lamps.
Decent work and economic growth
The funding to support the sale of energy-efficient products boosts local economies and creates jobs. The project also offers training for female micro-entrepreneurs, while regular meetings ensure that the women can exchange ideas and support each other.
Climate action
By replacing polluting practices with more energy-efficient alternatives, the project reduces carbon emissions.