When Eric joined Signify in 2012 there were around 1.1 billion people in the world living without electricity. Today the figure is around 840 million. Access provided by the Indian government has helped facilitate this reduction, but more work remains to be done.
In India, Signify solar lighting can be found in more than 30,000 villages. That’s good news, but there’s more work to be done; there are 629,000 villages in India alone. To achieve lighting in these villages requires both:
- Centralized solar systems – power from solar parks fed into the grid.
- Distributed solar power – solar power from panels on rooftops and street lighting poles as well as solar lanterns.
Access to financing and newer business models can transform communities and secure significant socio-economic results. As Eric said, “This is an investment of $1 billion a year for universal access by 2030. That should be our goal.”