zeroPoverty’s USP derives from the 5C-CoRE social business model that it employs. The 5C-CoRE model is built around five critical components that are focused on the rural community. They ensure i) inclusion of the rural customers in its governance, ii) appropriate technology that is sustainable and scalable, iii) training and customer support, iv) planning, measurement and evaluation of social impact and v) advocacy and local anchoring of the business.

1. Pilot Electrification in Jawadhu Hills, Tamilnadu, India
In Partnership with DHAN Foundation, April 2016
A PHOTO STORY

2. MOU discussion with Mr MP Vasimalai (centre), Executive Director, DHAN Foundation, Madurai, Tamilnadu, India.
Also in the picture are Anjum & Arun Amirtham, Mr R Adhinarayanan and Mr A Ramesh.
2 V3 / 19 June 2016

3. Interaction on sustainable agriculture and energy with villagers in T. Kallupatti, close to Thirumangalam, Madurai district.
3 V3 / 19 June 2016

4. An “eco house” provided by the state government of Tamilnadu with solar panels for 4 lamps and a fan.
Only two of the villagers were able to avail of the government’s scheme.
4
Solar Panel on Roof Battery and Electronics
V3 / 19 June 2016

5. Jawadhu Hills
The location of the pilot electrification – Jawadhu Hills, a tribal area of Tamilnadu.
The India Hub of zeroPoverty will be opened in Bangalore in August 2016.
5
India Hub
DHAN Foundation
Headquarters
V3 / 19 June 2016

6. Mobile telephony, including 3G data, is available in the remotest villages of India.
India is now the second largest market for mobile phones, after China.
6 V3 / 19 June 2016

7. Orientation discussion with DHAN field workers in Jamuna Marathur, the closest town to the pilot electrification site.
7 V3 / 19 June 2016

8. 5C-CoRE Rural Electrification Model
The 5C-CoRE™ Model for Rural Electrification
Technology
Rural
Community
Advocacy &
Local Anchoring
Planning,
Measurement
& Evaluation
Customer Support
& Training
Governance
8 V3 / 19 June 2016

9. Solar Home System:
Modular, Upgradable and Scalable
Scalable Solar Home System
Solar Panel
Mobile Handset
Charger LED
Battery
Scalable
Solar
Controller
9 V3 / 19 June 2016

10. Scalable DC Technology Portfolio
6 Wp 12 Wp 24 Wp 48 Wp 96 Wp uGrid
Basic 1
Basic 2
Edu
tainment
Comfort 1
Comfort 2
Community
M2S2
(* Available 2017)
*
*
Power
Performance
*
220V AC
ECOSYSTEM
10 V3 / 19 June 2016

11. With the DHAN team. On the far left is Mr R Adhinarayanan, Programme Leader for Climate Change Initiatives.
11 V3 / 19 June 2016

12. The hilly terrain of Jawadhu Hills. The sky was clear.
12 V3 / 19 June 2016

13. Electricity grid reaches some hamlets. But there are frequent black-outs.
24x7 electricity is a privilege reserved for the metropolitan regions of India.
13 V3 / 19 June 2016

14. Local villagers are ingenious to find clever ways to secure electricity, when possible!
Transmission and distribution (T&D) losses - including theft - amount to 28% in India.
14 V3 / 19 June 2016

15. 4 km of the journey from the closest town, Jamuna Marathur, was by van.
15 V3 / 19 June 2016

16. Another 4 km could be covered on a motorcycle.
16 V3 / 19 June 2016

17. The last 2 km had to be covered by foot!
Villagers need to routinely cover 10 km by foot each week to buy kerosene and many other provisions.
17 V3 / 19 June 2016

18. Interacting with some of the rural girls, while waiting for the rest of the team to arrive by motorcycle shuttle service.
The DHAN Foundation and the TVS Trust have been active in the area since over a decade. SHGs are well established.
18 V3 / 19 June 2016

19. Water is drawn from a local well. The water, also used for drinking and cooking, is rather murky.
19 V3 / 19 June 2016

20. 20
The path was steep and slippery, at places…
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21. 21
… and long.
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22. Livelihood depends on cattle and agriculture.
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23. 23
Life seems well organised. Here, hay is stored on stilts for protection from damage by rain.
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24. 24
Even the cattle seek the protection of the shade that trees provide, for refuge from the scorching sun.
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25. Interaction with the villagers is led by Mr Adhinarayanan, Programme Leader, DHAN Foundation.
25 V3 / 19 June 2016

26. 26
The villagers are curious and attentive.
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27. 27
A typical hut in the hamlet. There are no windows - for protection from sunlight and heat, by day, and wild animals, by night.
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28. Sangeetha displays the naked kerosene lamp, which they use for lighting. It is inefficient, sooty and harmful for health.
Watery eyes, blackened nostrils and smoke-filled homes are the symptoms. Pulmonary respiratory disease is common.
28 V3 / 19 June 2016

29. Solar energy has been tried by some families in the past, but it has failed.
Something as simple as a faulty switch results in the technology/product falling into disuse, just after 3 months.
29 V3 / 19 June 2016

30. Arun demonstrates the zeroPoverty Solar Home System. He realizes squatting could be a core competence!
30 V3 / 19 June 2016

31. 31
The basic configuration of zeroPoverty’s solar home system comes with two lamps and a mobile charging adapter.
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32. 32
The villagers want to know if they can add more lamps to the system.
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33. 33
The lighting that a solar home system provides primarily impacts children (for education) and women (healthier air quality).
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34. 34
Mobile phones improve social connectedness as well as access to the sporadic daily wages job market.
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35. The villagers have a lot of questions. The men are keen to have a television. A radio, for cinema songs, is simply not enough!
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On average, a family spends Rs 200 to Rs 300 on kerosene, Rs 50 for transportation and
Rs 100 for mobile charging, per month. The solar home system is paid back in weekly installments of Rs 100 over a year.
V3 / 19 June 2016

37. The zeroPoverty Solar Home System floods the dark interior of Chinnamma’s and Sangeetha’s hut with light.
International rural electrification standards recommend 200 lumens. zeroPoverty offers 300 lumens of light.
37 V3 / 19 June 2016

38. 38
A brighter home is a cleaner home and a healthier home.
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39. The difference between the kerosene lamp and the light from zeroPoverty’s Solar Home System is like day and night!
39 V3 / 19 June 2016

40. All smiles! zeroPoverty’s solar home system brings light, life and laughter.
40 V3 / 19 June 2016

41. Learning & Feedback from Field Trip
• Strategic alignment in terms of vision and mission with partner NGOs is critical.
• Collaboration requires a strong trust base.
• Remote off-grid areas can be hard to reach.
• In some cases, there has been experience with solar technology - however,
products have failed for very simple reasons; rural folk are helpless without support.
• Maintenance-free technology is required. "Top-up" lead-acid batteries are not cared
for simply because "distilled water“ is an unknown concept for rural consumers!
• Each LED lamp provides 10 times as much light as a naked kerosene lamp.
• Women seemed more enthusiastic than men on the impact of lighting in the hut.
• Men were keener on the possibility of having a TV - radio was simply not good enough!
• There is a keen sense of enterprise as well as a very high level of local ingenuity & creativity.
• There seemed to be an un-articulated demand for more lamps.
"Can we add additional bulbs to the system?“
• There was also an eagerness to negotiate, which indicates a clear market pull.
"Can we pay back in two years instead of in one year“
• Concern was voiced if the solar home system will be made redundant when the government
finally provides grid-based electricity; or if grid-electrification will pass them by if they
independently opted for solar electrification instead.
• There is a democratic decision-making process within the community.
41 V3 / 19 June 2016

42. Next Steps
• zeroPoverty has participated in the Social Business Development Seminar offered by
seif - Social Enterprise Initiative Foundation, Zurich, in October/November 2015.
• The initiative has won an extremely positive response at the BOP World Convention
in Mexico City, in December 2015.
• The development of the social business has the mentoring support of the
impactBOOST programme offered by seif, in collaboration with UBS.
• MoU towards strategic partnership with DHAN Foundation.
• Registration process for the legal entity in India was kicked off in April 2016.
• The hiring process for the Indian team is on-going.
• Field trip and pilot demonstration undertaken to Jawadhu Hills in Tamilnadu in April 2016.
• Planning for the next six months:
• Feasibility report based on rural survey of five communities (May/June)
• Official validation of solar home system through national laboratory (June)
• Installation of pilots systems in five communities in Tamilnadu - Jawadhu Hills, Kolli
Hills & Kalrayan Hills, and Karnataka - Gulbarga & Yadgiri district (June)
• Pilot Testing and Evaluation of the results and feedback (June/July/August)
• Opening of the zeroPoverty office in Bangalore (August)
• Launch of phase 1 of rural electrification limited to TN and Karnataka (August-December)
• Expansion to Assam in North India in partnership with DHAN Foundation (2017)
42 V3 / 19 June 2016

43. 2016 Q1
Planning
Alignment
with partner
NGOs
Product
Qualification
2016 Q2
5 pilot
communities
100 Families
1 Partner
NGO
2016 Q3
10 Villages
1000
Families
1 Partner
NGO
2016 Q4
30 Villages
3000
Families
1 Partner
NGOs
2017 Q1
60 Villages
6000
Families
2 Partner
NGOs
40 Rural Jobs
Deployment Plan 2016/2017
43 V3 / 19 June 2016

44. “It will be
wonderful to
deploy this social
business venture
along with you and
be a part of this
initiative in India
and worldwide…”
Dipal C. Barua
Bangladeshi Pioneer in
Rural Electrification
44 V3 / 19 June 2016

45. Partners
Concept & Design Implementation Technology
Grants
BRIGHT GREEN
ENERGY
FOUNDATION
Krishna Revankar
Independent Consultant
Former CEO, Emmvee Solar Sys
45 V3 / 19 June 2016

46. d
Switch on power. Switch off poverty.
Arun Amirtham | +41 79 282 72 54 | arun@zeroPoverty.ch
Arun Paul Sandra Amanda Oscar Das Premi