The new system aims to illuminate the lives of 500 million Indians having no access to electricity, with special focus on rural India. This marks a major milestone for Schneider Electric’s global sustainable program – BipBop.
In-Diya is a specially designed LED based lighting system that provides backup ranging from 8 – 15 hours for indoor applications. In-Diya LED based lighting system is available in nine different variants. The basic model with 45 LEDs is available for EUR8.5 ($11.5 approx.). It is powered by an external chargeable battery which can be rented from a battery charging station managed by a local entrepreneur. The high-end variant is a 90 LED Solar Home Lighting System which is compatible with the electrical grid and is priced at EUR70 ($95 approx.).
In addition to using Schneider Electric’s strong network of 400 plus channel partners, the Group will join hands with various Micro Finance Institutions, NGOs and specially trained entrepreneurs to reach the rural masses. Half of the net profit earned from sales of In-Diya in India will be put back into the Schneider Electric India Foundation to further the cause of BipBop.
Schneider Electric India Foundation is presently running 11 training centers in six states viz. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Bihar and Delhi. Another 10 training centers will be opened during 2010. Benefits of In-Diya include a 50% less power than 11W CFL and 90% less power than 60 Watt incandescent lamp for the same light output; it can be mounted on a wall and can illuminate a room of 12 feet by 12 feet for all normal activities; in its high-end version costs less than any CFL based solar home lighting system; provides 50,000 hours of lighting.
