Solar for All Design Contest
In Search of innovative technical solar PV off-grid solutions
FREIBURG, Germany, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- With over 3.5 billion people lacking reliable access to electricity, the growth potential of the solar PV market in developing countries is immense. But to reach its potential, products need to be well adapted and affordable for even the lowest income consumer.
For the past six months, Solar for All has been running a Design Contest, managed by the Canopus Foundation, to find the best technical innovations that can make solar photovoltaic technology affordable and accessible for the developing world.
Prof. Eicke Weber, Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy ISE and chairman of the Jury explains: "From an outstanding field of manufacturers, PV system integrators, and social entrepreneurs, the Solar for All Design Contest has brought together some of the world's most innovative technical solutions for providing sustainable and reliable energy solutions to customers without access to the electricity grid."
From 58 companies and organizations from 29 countries four finalists have been chosen:
- Greenlight Planet
- Kaito Energie AG
- Phaesun
- Promethean Power Systems
"The applications demonstrate groundbreaking advancements in the modularity and scalability of PV solutions for the off-grid market," Dr. Peter W. Heller, Executive Director of the Canopus Foundation remarks, "showing also advances in payment and financing schemes, and innovative new strategies for market outreach and distribution."
The products range from lanterns, pico solar and solar home systems, mini-grids and hybrid solutions, all targeted at addressing the needs of low income communities.
The winners will be announced on July 12, 2010. The First Prize of the Solar for All Design Contest is an investment of $250,000 from the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation. The runner up will receive euro 10,000 from Good Energies, and all shortlisted finalists will be eligible for consideration for potential investment from the Solar for All Investment Fund to be launched in 2011.
For further information: www.sfa-pv.org
The Solar for All Initiative
Solar for All is a global initiative to make significant advances in the goal of making solar energy affordable to the 1.6 billion people on this planet without access to electricity. The initiative was founded by Canopus Foundation and Ashoka, and is by now supported by a consortium of more than 50 of the world's leading organizations working in the field of energy access for the poor. Major supporters include the Artemisia Foundation, Avina Stiftung, the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, the elea Foundation, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, the Lemelson Foundation, and the Woodcock Foundation.
SOURCE Solar for All
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