Ajit Sapre, R.A. Mashelkar and Sally Benson
Millions of people in India lack access to electricity
In India, many children pump and haul water far from home
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From the Director
At the GCEP research symposium last fall, Ajit Sapre, group president of research and technology for Reliance Industries in India, gave a compelling talk about the growing energy-technology needs of developing countries—and the need for affordable energy solutions. His presentation inspired GCEP and Reliance Industries to co-host a major workshop last month in Mumbai, India, entitled The Search for Game-Changing Energy Technologies for the Developing World. Thought leaders from Reliance, GCEP and our Sponsors, academia and NGOs participated in this two-day conference that focused on the challenges of creating and applying new energy solutions in the developing world. Some common themes emerged:
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The need for affordable excellence to drive rapid adoption of modern energy technologies;
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"Inclusive innovation," dealing not only with technological advances but the social and financial issues surrounding them; and
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The "more for less for more" paradigm, so articulately expressed by keynote speaker R.A. Mashelkar as "getting more performance for less cost for more people."
In addition to the workshop, the Reliance Foundation arranged visits to four villages in rural India where we saw firsthand how better agricultural practices, access to fresh water, cleaner cooking fuels and lighting can dramatically improve lives and provide opportunities for economic development.
In this newsletter, I am excited to share videos from the India workshop and our village visits, along with the latest news about GCEP.
Thank you for your continuing interest in GCEP and have a great summer.
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