LaBL programme opens up business avenues for solar firms

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) initiative—Lighting a billion lives (LaBL)—has started gaining ground. The campaign launched in 2008 has not only illuminated hundreds of lives already, but has also opened up business avenues. The implementation of LaBL has been made possible with the help of 45 grassroots partners in different states and 30 technology and development partners for manufacturing solar lanterns and setting up charging stations.

By Sandhya Malhotra

Saturday, September 18, 2010: “We are partnering with various solar based companies to develop technology, products and implement the project as per our solar charging station designs. To cover India and the world, we need hundreds of partners. Moreover, we are looking for partnership with battery companies as well and are in talks with three manufacturers. Our main criteria is quality, reliability, provision of post sales service, and meeting set performance specifications of LaBL,” says Kunal Nagpal, programme manager, LaBL.

- Advertisement -

Commenting on the process of selecting technology and development partners, Nagpal says, “We require expression of interest, including capabilities statement, product information sheet, test reports, and manufacturing and quality capabilities. Lanterns will also be certified by our own testing lab as per LaBL specifications.”

Scope for solar companies

Technology partners such as Philips Electronics, Nichia (Japan), Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics are working closely with manufacturers like Crompton Greaves, Halonix Ltd, Moser Baer, Reliance Industries, Tata BP Solar, Amara Raja, Regnant Lighting, Sujana Energy, Kripa Lights, Avni Energy, BNK Energy Alternatives, Agni Power, MIC Electronics, Gautam Polymers , Solid Solar, Ritika Systems, etc, for developing and customising LED based solar lanterns.

Says Shubhra Mohanka, director, marketing, Gautam Polymers, “We have already supplied more than 20,000 LED and CFL based solar lanterns to LaBL. This year we are renewing our contract. Besides supplying lanterns, we will also apply for installation and implementation of the project in Bihar, UP, J&K and Rajasthan.”  Business has also opened up for the battery players. Sunil Bhatnagar, director, marketing, Artheon Electronics Ltd, says, “We will supply our solar battery for this campaign. This project would give impetus to the growth of the solar battery industry.”

Challenges

The manufacturers, however, face some challenges. Says Mohanka, “Although this project has immense business potential, but on the flip side, as per new guidelines, supplying an lantern at Rs 995 with all configuration is quite a challenge for us. This way, we have to compromise on our margins.”

As part of LaBL programme, solar lanterns provided to villages where access to electricity is absent or minimal, have been custom designed and will now cost less. Earlier, a lantern used to cost Rs 2,200-3,000. With the new technology, it will cost around Rs 995-1,600.

LaBL is being implemented in nine villages in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, and the programme will be further implemented in 12 more villages in Amravati and Ahmednagar districts. Says Nagpal, “The programme aims at bringing down the cost, while enhancing the performance of the lamps and to replace kerosene and paraffin lanterns with solar lighting devices.”

This programme will be partly funded under the government scheme—Stand alone solar PV power plant.

Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine

- Advertisement -

Related Artcles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Exclusive

Indian PC Market Grows 4% In Q4 2023, Local Manufacturing Efforts Ramp Up

0
IT procurement by enterprises and SMBs, delayed in the first half of 2023, is starting to take place and is expected to accelerate...

“Efficiency In Solar Energy Is More About Investment Rationale Than Resource Limitation”

0
Indian utility-scale solar company SolarArise claims to offer investors long-term, cash-generating assets and anticipates advancements in energy storage technologies to enable 24-hour clean power...

A New Form Factor Of Two Wheelers Takes Shape In India

1
The logistics sector has become India's biggest adopter of electric vehicles. However, attrition due to physical and mental fatigue is alarming for lease and...

Buzz

Garuda

Garuda Aerospace Unveils Trishul Border Patrol Surveillance Drone

0
As the government has banned importing drones, Trishul aims to add to homegrown national security.  Garuda Aerospace, Indian drone-tech firm, has launched the Trishul Border...
Dronamics

BRINC Introduces Unified Drone Management Platform LiveOps

0
LiveOps integrates hardware features into a unified platform. The platform enables direct video streaming from BRINC devices for informed decision-making. It provides tools...
UXL foundation

UXL To Hit The Force Behind NVIDIA’s AI Dominance, CUDA

0
Efforts to dethrone NVIDIA are ramping up. The UXL will finalise technical specifications in the first half of the year and mature the...

Important Sectors

Dronamics

BRINC Introduces Unified Drone Management Platform LiveOps

0
LiveOps integrates hardware features into a unified platform. The platform enables direct video streaming from BRINC devices for informed decision-making. It provides tools...

Indian Government To Review Laptop Import Management System

0
The government recognises that setting up or expanding manufacturing units takes time, but there must be enough effort from companies’ end to assure compliance...
green hydrogen

Sterling And Tecnicas Reunidas To Set Up Hydrogen Electrolysers In India

0
Bilateral relations between India and Spain are growing in the clean energy sector. The Spanish firm will boost green hydrogen production in India. India’s...

Porsche E-Bike Performance Boosts IT Efficiency With Freshworks’ AI Software

0
Utilising the automation features and bots within Freshservice, the Porsche subsidiary streamlined and expanded its IT service to enhance the employee experience. Freshworks Inc. announced...

Intel, Biden-Harris Administration Reach Preliminary $8.5 Billion CHIPS Act Funding Deal

0
The proposed funding, along with an investment tax credit and eligibility for CHIPS Act loans, would aid Intel in enhancing American semiconductor manufacturing and...

Manufacturing

JLR To Hire 250 Electrical Technicians For Future EVs

0
These new roles, part of a £15 billion investment, are in addition to 300 positions created last year by the British car maker. Jaguar Land...

Altmin India Partners With WMG To Advance Battery Tech

0
Altmin and WMG will collaborate to strengthen their global battery materials supply chain position by optimizing cathode materials and developing diverse cell designs across...

EVs To Cost Less Than Gas Vehicles by 2027, Says Gartner

0
Gartner predicts a faster decline in production costs compared to battery costs, which represent the most significant expense in an electric vehicle, accounting for...
MG

MG Motor To Set Up Battery Assembly Unit At Halol Facility

0
The company plans to investigate battery cell production in collaboration with external partners. Automaker MG Motor India is actively exploring the possibility of assembling and...

Servotech Boosts India’s EV Charging Infrastructure With Manufacturing Facility

0
The new facility is poised to start with an annual production capacity of 24,000 power modules and plan to scale up to 2.4 lakh...