`Progressive Purchase' pricing model for household energy systems

“Progressive Purchase” is a new pricing model developed by Simpa Networks that shares some characteristics of the familiar “prepaid”, “pay as you go”, and “installment plan” pricing models. Under Progressive Purchase, the consumer makes a series of payments, each of which unlocks the solar home system for a paid amount of energy consumption (Kwh).  Once the prepaid consumption is exhausted, the solar home system is temporarily disabled until another paymenmt is made.  Once the consumer has fully paid the total purchase price of the product, full functionality is restored and the product is permanently unlocked.

The Progressive Purchase pricing model is enabled by the Simpa Regulator, a tamper-proof, system-integrated micro controller and user interface that regulates the function of  solar home systems based on proof of payments, and the Simpa Revenue Management System, a centralized software solution in the “cloud”, accessible via SMS gateway and over the internet, for payment processing and accounts settlement.

Winners of GE Edison Challenge.

The winners announced on 6th are:`Graminavitas' from IIT Chennai. Team members Kaushik Anand, Midhun Salim, Srinath Ramakrusshnan, Aswin Ramesh and Aditya Harit. Integrated Project involves Dehusking , gassification of husk, micro-grid and sanitaion. Ruuners up are team Energy Boosters, Venkatewara College of Engineering,Chennai, team members Netrah, Neha and Rahul Jain. Project is on Algae (Spirogyra) production using toxic waste from textile industry.Employees choice was team Tojoe from PSG College. Team Adithiya, Aravind, Ram Prasadh, Somasundaram and Vishwanath. Ptoejct- Solar pond.

Ashden award 2008 for Svati Bhogle

The Ashden Awards prize of £40,000 was presented to Svati Bhogle, Chief Executive of TIDE, by Kenyan Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai.Many of South India’s small businesses rely on wood as their main source of fuel, which causes pollution and deforestation, not to mention uncomfortable and dangerous working conditions when boilers and stoves are badly designed. Building on the excellent track record of stove design at the renowned Indian Institute of Science, TIDE commercialises their designs to provide efficient woodstoves and kilns which save at least 30 percent of fuel and are tailor-made for specific small industries. To date 110,000 workers enjoy better conditions thanks to the 10,000 products TIDE has supplied, saving around 43,000 tonnes of wood each year.