Energy Solutions --> Let there be light!

As a follow-up to this week's The Economist article, "Power to the People", I would like to bring attention to a social enterprise that has achieved much in the way of providing affordable light sources in under-served communities.

Solar Sister eradicates energy poverty by empowering women with economic opportunity. Practically speaking, the organization sells light sources to women in rural Africa. When these women sell the energy efficient lamps in their community, they effectively become small-scale entrepreneurs and are empowered through the virtuous cycle of self-employment. To help with the learning process, Solar Sister also distributes 'start-up kits' which include inventory, training and marketing support for distributors. 

I came into contacs founder, Katherine Lucey. Katherine is very much an entrepreneur, and really believes in the empowerment of women in the international community through job creation as key to sustainable development.t with Solar Sister at the Harvard International Development conference, and was able to meet and talk to it

Solar Sister is all the more interesting because it overcomes the obstacle laid out in the article, namely that, unlike 'telephone ladies', the new-age 'lamp ladies' would have no immediate source of income with which to balance out the investment in the lamp. Solar Sister has found a way past this issue and is also seeing some great business returns from its social enterprise model.

My question for bloggers this week is: what other energy sources/generators can we harness and distribute in a small-scale entrepreneurial way? See here for the award-winning portable wind turbine.