OPIC: Solar panels offer a clean source of electricity in rural India

As the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) brings together leaders from every end of the globe to share ideas on what we can do to combat climate change, we’re highlighting one of the several projects we’ve supported to help introduce renewable energy in developing countries around the world.

Here, a worker in rural India prepares to install a portable solar panel made by OPIC partner Simpa Networks, which sells solar-as-a-service to energy-poor households and micro-enterprises. In India, where 400 million people live in rural areas that are not connected to an electricity grid, Simpa Networks’ technology provides a way for families to light and cool their homes and for businesses to stay open after dark.

With a $3 million loan from OPIC, Simpa Networks is expanding its reach from 5,000 customers to more than 50,000 to meet demand by providing sustainable electricity in the rural villages of Uttar Pradesh.OPIC has committed over $6.6 billion to renewables since 2009. The year 2015 marked the fifth consecutive year that OPIC has committed approximately $1 billion to renewable energy projects.