Moser Baer and The Barefoot College are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they’re both doing their bit to spread solar technology
Leading the charge
Moser Baer, the largest Indian company engaged in the manufacture of PV cells, is at the vanguard of Indian efforts to harvest solar power. Currently, its manufacturing lines process 3,000 crystalline silicon wafers per hour, or an annual output of 80 W. Crystalline silicon cells are the first-generation of PV cells. They drive nearly 90% of the solar applications in use today.
Rural power
The Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan, run by an NGO, is emerging as a hub for
solar systems manufacture, installation and training for the Third World. Students from India, Asia and Africa train here. Parmaram (below), a fifth-standard dropout and alumnus of the college, ekes a living from solar systems—not in the least fazed by their complex electronic circuitry.
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Photographs (clockwise from top) by Bhupinder Singh and Saptarshi Biswas