We aim to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to villages in order to foster quality of life and sustainable rural development.

Solar Village; Let’s search for a brighter tomorrow

Internet and energy is all pervasive. Over the short course of time both has become an integral part of our lives, allowing us to perform day to day tasks and to connect with others in a global network.

While it is no surprise to hear that connecting to the Internet requires a power source, one may be surprised to learn that the Internet can also give energy in return, to power a village for example. The old proverb ‘knowledge is power’ has become more tangible than ever! That is the idea behind, the Solar Village Search Engine, a search engine that produces solar energy for rural India.

Like any conventional internet search engine, Solar Village Search Engine,  works generates income from sponsored search results. Yet unlike other search engines, the income from these advertisements goes toward the cost of purchasing and installing solar panels in villages. Climate Action has never been easier. With a click of a mouse individuals can contribute to a carbon neutral energy future.

The Solar Village Search Engine is a part of the Solar Village Initiative, which works to alleviate the impacts of inconsistent energy supply — sometimes referred to as “energy poverty” — on rural villages. By providing the means of generating energy locally, the Solar Village Initiative hopes to improve conditions for livelihood, academics, health, and environmental well being. The aim is to solarize 100 villages in Tamil Nadu by 2030. The first Solar Village project has started.

Moreover, the initiative can help bring democratic budget-planning to these communities. As the solar panels are connected to the conventional grid system, the energy generated by the panels can be sold to a third party. In turn, ten percent of the profit from these electricity sales is given back to the village itself, which opens new opportunities for the villagers. The money earned through the sales will be spent as the community sees fit as a form of participatory budgeting. Villagers can assess the needs of the community and then vote on competing needs and collectively decide what kind of spending will reap the most benefits for all.

The other 90 percent of the profit will go back to the Solar Village Initiative, which will fund future solar projects for other villages in the region. The goal is to solarize 100 villages throughout Tamil Nadu by 2030.

The Solar Village Initiative is managed by Auroville Consulting, a unit of the nonprofit Auroville Foundation.

More information about the Solar Village Search Engine can be found at www.thesolarvillage.org