The Solar Village Search Engine, launched 5 December 2018, is a project based out of Auroville and overseen by Auroville Consulting.

 

The Solar Village Search Engine is a crowdfunding tool that uses ad revenue from internet searches to fund solar panels for rural villages in Tamil Nadu. Millions of people in rural India suffer from daily power cuts, and the effects of this inaccess — known as energy poverty — impact education, livelihood, and health within the villages. The hope is that, by providing reliable solar energy to villages, effects of energy poverty will be alleviated.

 

By providing solar panels, villagers are guaranteed energy access 24/7. Ten percent of the revenue from selling the solar energy generated with these solar systems goes back to the village, with the hope that this will encourage participatory budgeting. The other 90 percent of revenue will go toward funding other solar villages. The Solar Village Initiative aims to solarize 100 villages throughout the region by 2030.

 

The Solar Village Initiative is a part of Auroville Consulting, an environmental consulting firm based out of Auroville. An ongoing pilot project for the Solar Village Initiative has started in Irumbai village, just near Auroville. Members of the team have already installed energy-efficient fans in Irumbai village to keep homes cool and disease-carrying mosquitoes at bay.

 

Founded in 2010, Auroville Consulting aims to make the world a greener, better place. Auroville Consulting is a unit of the Auroville Foundation.

 

To learn more about the Solar Village Initiative and the Solar Village Search engine, go to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or visit thesolarvillage.org.

 

Contact: info@thesolarvillage.org