Three Indian green energy pioneers have been shortlisted today for the 2013 International Ashden Awards, moving a step closer to winning up to £40,000 in prize money, as well as access to business support, international media exposure and membership of the prestigious Ashden India Sustainable Energy Collective.
The organisations are:
- · Friends of Women’s World Banking Selling and financing solar lanterns
- · OMC Power Micropower plants for villages and telecoms
- · Vortex Engineering Providing low-power ATMs
Finalists will be announced in May 2013, with Awards to be presented at a prestigious ceremony in London on 20 June 2013.
The Ashden Awards judging panel includes Professor Paul Ekins, Professor of Energy and Environment Policy of the UCL Energy Institute at University College, London; Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation; Dominic Brain of Christian Aid and Michael Mason, international carbon finance expert.
This year’s winner of the Ashden 2012 International Gold Award was the Indian microfinance organisation Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) for showing how ethically managed microfinance can deliver sustainable energy to the poor.
Dr. LH Manjunath, Executive Director of SKDRDP said: “The award itself greatly enhanced our self-esteem and confidence. In India a great deal of importance is attached to the prestigious Ashden Awards, which you can see from the publicity we got. Back home, the people of Dharmasthala and staff of SKDRDP are all quite excited and have developed a new understanding of the energy for poor issues.”
1. The Ashden Awards were founded in 2001 to encourage the greater use of local clean energy to address climate change and alleviate poverty. Since then they have rewarded over 140 green energy champions across the UK and the developing world. Ashden showcases and celebrates best practice, encourages the expansion and replication of winners’ work, raises awareness of the potential of local sustainable energy, and advocates on their winners’ behalf. The Ashden Patron is HRH The Prince of Wales.
2. Some 49 green energy organisations and programmes from over 60 countries have been shortlisted across 4 categories of Awards, which in 2013 will include new Awards for Small Island Developing States, launched in partnership with the World Bank and SIDS DOCK.
3. The Ashden India Sustainable Energy Collective (AISEC) was set up by Ashden Award winners in 2010 with the aim of accelerating access to renewable energy in India by influencing national policies. It currently has 19 members.