prasad1
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Philip Earis is on a mission to power areas that have no electricity. Averil Nunes tags along with the British scientist as he endeavours to light up off-grid villages with solar energy
How many people does it take to light up a village? Just one, if you happen to be a physicist with considerable knowledge of solar energy and the willingness to use it for the good of the people. Meet Philip Earis, a British scientist who is helping change lives in the village of Valap, which may be a short drive from Mumbai, but has seen no electricity in the 150 years of its existence.
Driving down with Earis to the 53-hut village of Valap, just 48 kilometres from the heart of the Maximum City, is an instructive experience. His mission is to install solar lights in the remaining eight homes in the village, which has been off-grid for as long as the villagers can remember. The simple pleasures of staying up to read a book after the sun has set or relaxing in the airflow of a spinning fan are not things they are familiar with.
Earis, a rather unassuming 32-year-old scientist who worked with the publishing division of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, has been in India for almost two years now. His presence has meant that India's contributions to the journals he publishes has risen by over 50 per cent. It also means he's taken the initiative to get hands-on experience of the realities of solar energy empowering places. Why Valap, you wonder? It turns out he chanced upon Valap when he heard about Kamlya, a barefoot runner from this village.
Sometime in March, Earis visited Kamlya's village and provided solar lights to about seven homes at a discounted rate of Rs350 for a light and solar powered fan, a fraction of the market rate of Rs2,340. "You can't give people things for free, or they won't value it," is Earis' rationale. By April 2015, generous contributions from the Mumbai Road Runners meant that Philip's philanthropic venture – Project Light – had enough funds to power the entire village.
This is not the first locality he's lighting up. The slums of Worli, the Bandra Reclamation area, Gilbert Hill in Andheri and Prabhalgad have also been beneficiaries of his work. He also has plans to provide more powerful solar panels, developed in India, for the school in Valap.
"Giving light for the first time is important, but it's just the first step. Project Light is trying to provide ongoing support by developing affordable 'modular' systems that can be upgraded as a household's energy requirements increases alongside its economic development. Solar can play a big part here," says Earis, who is hoping to hand over the project to others before he heads back to Britain at the end of the year.
Any takers?
http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-a-place-under-the-sun-2103764
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Philip Earis and Project Light’s bulbs can be suspended from the roof, placed on the floor and even charge a mobile phone
How many people does it take to light up a village? Just one, if you happen to be a physicist with considerable knowledge of solar energy and the willingness to use it for the good of the people. Meet Philip Earis, a British scientist who is helping change lives in the village of Valap, which may be a short drive from Mumbai, but has seen no electricity in the 150 years of its existence.
Driving down with Earis to the 53-hut village of Valap, just 48 kilometres from the heart of the Maximum City, is an instructive experience. His mission is to install solar lights in the remaining eight homes in the village, which has been off-grid for as long as the villagers can remember. The simple pleasures of staying up to read a book after the sun has set or relaxing in the airflow of a spinning fan are not things they are familiar with.
Earis, a rather unassuming 32-year-old scientist who worked with the publishing division of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, has been in India for almost two years now. His presence has meant that India's contributions to the journals he publishes has risen by over 50 per cent. It also means he's taken the initiative to get hands-on experience of the realities of solar energy empowering places. Why Valap, you wonder? It turns out he chanced upon Valap when he heard about Kamlya, a barefoot runner from this village.
Sometime in March, Earis visited Kamlya's village and provided solar lights to about seven homes at a discounted rate of Rs350 for a light and solar powered fan, a fraction of the market rate of Rs2,340. "You can't give people things for free, or they won't value it," is Earis' rationale. By April 2015, generous contributions from the Mumbai Road Runners meant that Philip's philanthropic venture – Project Light – had enough funds to power the entire village.
This is not the first locality he's lighting up. The slums of Worli, the Bandra Reclamation area, Gilbert Hill in Andheri and Prabhalgad have also been beneficiaries of his work. He also has plans to provide more powerful solar panels, developed in India, for the school in Valap.
"Giving light for the first time is important, but it's just the first step. Project Light is trying to provide ongoing support by developing affordable 'modular' systems that can be upgraded as a household's energy requirements increases alongside its economic development. Solar can play a big part here," says Earis, who is hoping to hand over the project to others before he heads back to Britain at the end of the year.
Any takers?
http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-a-place-under-the-sun-2103764
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