A United Nations-backed solar energy project has literally shed light on rural India. The program, which launched in 2003 and has since won the prestigious Energy Globe Award, has made a positive impact in rural communities where residents previously relied mostly on dangerous kerosene lamps to light the night.

The southern Indian state of Karnataka served as the testing grounds to determine if solar energy could be a viable option for rural communities in the developing world. Only approximately 45% of India’s population is connected to the power grid, and even they cannot depend on reliable power. Many areas complain of receiving only a few hours of electricity per day.

In order to create a sustainable energy solution, the United Nations program is assisting local banks in offering affordable loans to purchase the solar systems for rural families. Each system costs between US$300-500, not an easy purchase in an area where the average annual salary is $1,200 per household.

To date, 18,000 homes in Karnataka have participated in the program, supplying more than 100,000 people with safe and reliable lighting. The old method of relying on kerosene lamps was a dire way to provide a family with light at night. Kerosene is expensive and sometimes requires walking long distances for the purchase. It also produces toxic, foul smelling fumes that infiltrate clothing and food while polluting the air.

According to a U.N. statement, having more hours of light per day as a result of the program “has been credited with better grades for schoolchildren, better productivity for cottage- based industries such as needlework artisans, and even better sales at fruit stands, where produce is no longer spoiled by fumes from kerosene lamps.”

Similar projects are now being initiated by UNEP in Tunisia, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Ghana, Morocco and Algeria.