Enabling women in at-risk communities to make the transition to clean energyThe project enables women microentrepreneurs in rural areas of India to access funding for improved cookstoves and solar lamps and helps to build supply chains in remote regions. The women use these products for both their businesses (e.g. cookstoves for small restaurants or solar lamps to extend the opening hours of a small shop) and their homes (e.g. to provide a safe source of light for children to study after dark). The money saved on fuel enables the women to repay the loans. Organised in self-help 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 work as clean energy demonstrators, travelling to nearby villages to educate others about the benefits of the new products. In this way, they enable more women to take the first step on their clean energy journey.
How microloans for improved cookstoves and solar lamps contribute to climate actionOpen fires and kerosene lamps are still widely used in rural India, despite the environmental damage they cause and the risks of fire, injury, and poor respiratory health. Many energy-efficient products are often expensive or difficult to access in remote areas, making projects like this one especially necessary.
Improved cookstoves are more energy efficient and generate less indoor smoke pollution. Solar lamps replace kerosene lamps by using sunlight to generate their electricity. The use of both products significantly reduces carbon emissions and can alleviate pressure on local forests as less firewood is needed. For local people, the benefits go beyond carbon reduction: better indoor air quality prevents respiratory diseases and families can save time and money with the reduced need for fuel or firewood. Improved cookstove and solar lamp projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with these international standards.
