The Village Solar Project

After almost six months in India and with soaring temperatures and the monsoon looming, I felt it was time to leave. I spent the summer traveling from Nepal to the Philippines then up through Taiwan, Korea, and China. During this time, I was able to separate myself from the project and reflect on its progress. More and more I felt uneasy because I could hardly imagine how we were going to successfully complete such a difficult task. The project had begun as a solar lantern project; however, as I learned more about the different technologies being used for small-scale solar installations, I realized there were better, more sustainable options available. One such option was home lighting systems. Instead of a lantern, each family would have their own solar panel, battery, power outlet, and multiple LED bulbs. Vivek had told me these systems lasted longer and gave more value to the end-user. That being said, the maintenance and services required for a successful project would be more complicated. I was concerned we would not be able to pull it off. I also felt a responsibility to deliver exactly what I had promoted on the GoFundMe page. But, after many conversations with my father and Adam, we were starting to lean heavily towards changing the model and adopting a new technology, regardless of our apprehensions. Thankfully, arriving in Bangalore eased my anxiety. The rooftop meeting with Vivek had once again sharpened our vision of the road that lay ahead. Many of the obstacles that scared me most were described and deconstructed so that they now seemed like tasks we could conquer piece by piece. Questions like; “How will we collect payments?” “Who will source the solar equipment?” “Should we offer home lighting instead of solar lanterns?”, had been answered. Adam and I decided we would be adaptable and actively pursue the best model possible. 

Vivek’s expertise was in the creation and operation of systems and we needed more technical information. So Vivek invited us to visit the SELCO offices to meet with a few of his colleagues. The building was unassuming but the brainpower that lay within quickly became apparent. We sat down with Vivek and his colleague, Raunak, to discuss the technical side of the project. Raunak’s technical expertise complemented Vivek’s skillset perfectly, and when they brought in a research analyst, Sahar, Adam and I realized we were having a special experience. We had three very smart, highly qualified people who were genuinely interested in helping us in any way possible. This sort of collaboration is not easily found in the business world, and I don’t think our project would be the same without the invaluable advice and information they gave us. Not to mention, they earnestly believed we could and should do this project. That encouragement might have been the most important thing we took from Bangalore.

-Camden