Our Impact

Empowering
communities for
a brighter future

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More than 2 billion people around the world live without reliable access to electricity.
Our solar solutions are making clean energy products universally available and affordable.
140 million
lives empowered
27 million
tons of CO₂
418 GWh
generated from a renewable energy source
$4.7 billion
saved in energy-related expenses
32 million
school-aged children reached with solar lighting
25 billion
productive hours created
d.light lights up the lives of millions of Kenyans with a new innovative PayGo Solar Home System

Customer Stories

99% of d.light customers rate their product as a good value for money and would recommend d.light to a friend
Our
Commitment
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To meet our ambitious social impact goals, d.light measures impact, including benefits to health, productivity and well-being, through a data-driven approach. We use sales data, customer feedback, and ongoing product evaluation in the field. This provides a comprehensive picture of how access to energy transforms customers' lives. Our impact numbers are calculated from d.light’s developing-world sales and research from the United Nations and International Finance Corporation. These metrics align with the GOGLA standardized impact metrics for the off-grid energy sector.

Our Approach to
Social Impact Measurement

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d.light’s impact strategy is based on theories of change across four areas of well-being: financial freedom, productivity gains, human health, and environmental health. This blueprint guides d.light’s assessment of the customer experience, from the first purchase of a solar lantern or home system to the longer-term impact of a brighter future. To do this, d.light approaches impact measurement in three ways:
modeling social impact metrics, monitoring customers, and evaluating customer data. This approach produces a deeper understanding of how solar energy affects households that previously relied on poor quality, expensive, and unhealthy alternatives, such as kerosene, candles and diesel. We have developed two theories of change: one for our solar lanterns and one for our home systems. Lives empowered, school-aged children reached and GWhs generated reflect the impact of our whole product range. Money saved, productive hours generated and tons of CO2 offset include impact only from our portable solar lantern products.

Industry Recognition

d.light has helped pioneer initiatives to standardize impact measurement and is Global Impact Investment Rating System (GIIRS) Certified.

Impact Publications

2018
d.light is dedicated to advancing evidence and thought leadership on market-driven social impact. Here you will find impact research, thought pieces, and social impact best practices on the impact of solar energy access.

Thought Pieces

  • d.light features heavily in new TED talk

    Hear Amar Inamdar speak about the future of solar energy
    Watch Now
  • Acumen Blog

    The Kerosene Problem: An Open Letter for Better Research (2013)
    Read More