Gadhia Solar was formed to fulfill the mission of the NGO Eco Center ICNEER toprotect environment and as a part of it it worked on Solar Cookers and developed various solar cookers in co-op with inventros like dr Dieter Seifert and Mr Wolfgang Scheffler and indeginised and commercialsied them. It is a social enterprise and part of the profit goes to Eco Center ICNEER to help continue its mission.
Contact Information
Gadhia Solar has commercalised several type of Solar Cookers in India and has done pioneering work in these field and manufactures Sk 10 and SK 14 Dmoestic Parabolic Solar Cookers, Scheffler Community Solar Cooker and Instititutional Solar Cookers.
It has to its Credit the Wolrds largest solar cooker that cooks 30,000 meals per day at a Temple in S. India and has received many awards and recognition for its work.
The use of Solar Cookers have brought visible change in the life of the users as they are not exposed to the smoke in the kitchen and also eased the life as now the ladies dont have to go to Forest to collect wood.
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
The biggest solcial barrier for the people has been the affordibility as Solar Cookers are investment that they cannot afford and even if micro-financed they say they would like to buy a cycle or TV but not spend little money theyhave for Solar Cookeer. The reason they state is that ful wood is free for them so why should they spend on Solar Cooker.
Thus income generation is something that attracts them.
Gadhia Solar has helped Eco Center ICNEER to start Smoke-free village concept in which the solar cookers are micro-financed to reach the rural population who cannot afford it otherwise. BUT the biggest difference has been that they were promoted as income geenration tool and it was only that which made the difference as now people have to pay from their profits and not from their pockets.
Another postive outcome was that the women who started with use of Solar cookers only for income generation relaised the value ot time and now instead of seraching of fuel for cooking for few hours every day have also started using the solar cookers for their own cooking.
We reliased the Solar Cookers should not only be functional but also meet peoples expectations of quick cooking cooking of all items and if possible cooking in comforts of kitchen and cooking with solar at night
We have found cluster approach to be most effective way of monitoring with help of Self Help Groups
Relevant Publications or Studies
pls see in google gadhia+solar and you will notice we have made hundreds of presentations not only in India but across the world
Our Contribution to the Partnership
Sharing Learning Helping with Advociacy Helping with training
