Our Impact
Empowering
communities for
a brighter future
M
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
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
Commitment
T
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
d
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
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2011
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.
-
Quality Matters
Lighting Global Quality Assurance (QA)Download PDF -
Powering Opportunity (Exec Summary)
The Economic Impact of Off-Grid SolarDownload PDF -
Powering Opportunity
The Economic Impact of Off-Grid SolarDownload PDF -
Pioneering Power
Transforming lives through off-grid renewable electricity in Africa and AsiaDownload PDF -
Kakuma as a Marketplace
The evolving global refugee crisis calls for innovative approachesDownload PDF -
GSMA – d.light and RE-VOLT:
Pay-as-you-go solar service driving mobile money adoption in HaitiDownload PDF
