Solar Village Project

Founded in 2014, SVP is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization dedicated to ending energy poverty and reversing the negative impacts of climate change in the developing world. Our mission is to provide clean, renewable and reliable energy for all people, beginning with those who can least afford it. We provide: Solar lights and lanterns that are affordable — even for the most impoverished families and individuals in rural villages; Solar power systems that provide long-term reliable energy onsite, thereby limiting negative impacts from natural disasters and an unstable grid. Our Values We believe solar lights can save lives, when they replace dangerous, polluting, wasteful kerosene lamps. We believe reliable, clean, and renewable energy from the sun can change lives. 1 in 10 people still lack access to electricity. Billions have only nominal access. Solar energy can change all that. For example, solar lighting increases adults’ productivity. Children study 2 hours more every night, on average, compared to homes without electricity.lights create a safer and cleaner environment through the displacement of kerosene lanterns, which are a major contributor to indoor air pollution. According to the World Health Organization, in 2012 alone, indoor air pollution from kerosene lanterns caused 4.3 million deaths, with women and girls accounting for 6 out of every 10 casualties. SVP believes the purchase of energy must be affordable. We believe in prioritizing the needs of the poorest of the poor. That’s why we seek to power communities where power grids are nonexistent or notoriously unreliable. In India, we help the most deprived, including untouchables, depressed castes, and tribes. We’ve distributed solar lights and whole home systems, electrified village schools, installed a solar-powered water filtration plant, and partnered with Johns Hopkins researchers on multiple project impact evaluations. In Puerto Rico, we put solar panels in community centers in low-income neighborhoods. The centers provide shelter during disasters. And provide communal kitchens and all sorts of services and classes in better times. SVP believes in self-reliance and consumer choice. That’s why we go beyond charity, to offer solar lights at all price points, from individual lanterns that burn brightly for 8 hours a day to whole house systems that can power fans and TVs. SVP bases its work on proven methods and academic research. The microfinance program is a proven model built upon rigorous research. In 2018, SVP ran a microfinance pilot project in India, which demonstrated that seventy percent of families were willing to purchase solar lanterns outright and the rest repaid their loans without any defaults. To better inform our marketing, SVP has also collaborated with the Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy of Johns Hopkins University on a double blind study of 500 households that yielded detailed information on their overall willingness and ability to pay for solar lights. SVP focuses on impoverished communities first. SVP seeks to empower communities with clean energy where the grid does not exist or is unreliable. In India, we have helped the most under served communities, including the untouchable, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. In Puerto Rico, we have placed solar panels on community centers in low income areas that provide shelter during natural disasters, and which provide cooking, entrepreneurship and educational opportunities for those most in need. Based on the feedback we have received in the communities we have helped, solar power has had a profound and positive impact on people’s lives.