New Delhi, December 21, 2023: Powering Livelihoods, an initiative by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and Villgro Innovations Foundation, is calling for applications to extend support to enterprises deploying clean energy-based livelihood innovations. The programme aims to boost India’s rural economy by supporting the deployment of Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) powered technologies that have the potential to create sustainable and resilient livelihoods.
The enterprises selected will receive financial support of up to INR 25 lakh as seed funding to focus on DRE-based non-farm and farm livelihood solutions. The programme offers customised gender-forward incubation, strategic mentoring, and opportunities for Go-To-Market partnerships to broaden market reach. Emphasis is placed on facilitating end-user financing for clean energy solutions, backed by evidence-driven impact creation.
DRE-livelihood technologies, also known as Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) solutions, have a USD 50 billion market opportunity in India. As per CEEW analysis, these technologies have the potential to enhance 37 million livelihoods across farm and non-farm sectors in India. The programme, a blend of an enterprise and ecosystem accelerator, has already witnessed the positive impact of technologies such as solar dryers, solar textile machines, and solar-powered cold storage in enhancing incomes, improving productivity and reducing drudgery.
Between 2020 and 2023, the programme supported 14 enterprises, facilitating around 11,500 tech deployments and empowering approximately 19,123 livelihoods, with 71 per cent of beneficiaries being women. The programme raised INR 97.5 million in commercial fundraising and contributed to the mitigation of 16,800 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions. The programme remains committed to advancing clean energy as a key driver for rural economic growth in India.
“Villgro is proud to be part of the Powering Livelihoods programme, a testament to our commitment to sustainable development in rural India. By supporting enterprises that harness the power of renewable energy, we believe we can create a lasting impact on livelihoods, especially for women in these communities,” said Ananth Aravamudan, Chief of Strategy, Villgro.
“Unlike a typical short-term acceleration programme, Powering Livelihoods provides deep and long-term capital, along with technical support for impact enterprises to grow commercially. We help unlock commercial fundraisers, financing and policy support for the sector — making the programme a unique one. In the past, PL-supported enterprises witnessed 2x-8x growth in less than three years. Now, we are excited to find and support young entrepreneurs with cleantech for livelihoods to achieve impact at scale,” said Abhishek Jain, Fellow and Director, Powering Livelihoods, CEEW.
The programme is open to for-profit enterprises that have the potential to impact rural livelihoods and generate jobs. Enterprises that leverage Renewable Energy (RE) solutionsor those willing to integrate RE into their solutions, and those with solutions to improve energy efficiency and productivity of rural livelihoods are invited to submit applications. Additionally, women-led enterprises, enterprises with a strong gender-inclusive solution, and those willing to promote gender inclusivity through their business will be given preference.
The application window will remain open until January 15, 2024.
The selection of enterprises will be based on the pitch, which will be analysed by a jury of experts, followed by due diligence soon after. The selected enterprises will be supported through an in-depth incubation process for three years.
Villgro will support the enterprises in scaling their business through mentoring, technical assistance and partnerships. CEEW will play a vital role in monitoring and generating evidence of the enterprises' impact and presenting the sector’s potential to policymakers and other ecosystem stakeholders.
