IDEAAS/The Sun Shines for All

IDEAAS develops solutions for making power available to off-grid and communities in Brazil and beyond.   Energy Products/Services Solar Panels LEDs Portable Lanterns   Target Market Off-grid communities in rural Brazil Headquarters Porto Alegre, Brazil Established 2001 Impact Areas Brazil Type Hybrid Energy Sectors Power Source: Solar Power Power Use: Off-Grid Lighting and Electricity Business Model Types Product Sourcing: Self-Design, Foreign Manufacture, Uniform Product, Trading Company Distribution: Employee Salespeople, Knowledge Dissemination Affordability:In-House Financing, Subsidization Organization Financing: Grants and Donations, Loans and Equity, Self-Subsidized Scaling:New Locations, New Products, New Population Segments Social Impact:Scope/Number Reached Staff Size 8 Annual Budget $15,000 Major Funders Solar Development Group, Triodos Bank, Canopus Foundation, AVINA Awards 1989: Ashoka Fellow  2001: CSTS Tech Award 2002: Schwab Foundation Outstanding Social Entrepreneur 2004: Fast Company Magazine Fast 50 Award, World Technology Network Social Entrepreneur Award  2006: Schwab/Lemelson Leapfrog Fund Award 2008: Schwab/Lemelson Leapfrog Fund Award  2009:IADB and GTZ Global Village Energy Partnership Award, ITAU Eco-change prize, FIES Itau Social Excellence Prize

 

 

Value Proposition

• IDEAAS founder Fabio Rosa was initially responsible for reducing the cost of on-grid installations from $7,000 to $400 (by switching from a three-phase system to a less-powerful single phase system), which inspired the Brazilian government to fund grid connections to bring power to 80% of Brazilians.
• Since 2003, Rosa has been working to deliver solar power to Brazilians too isolated for grid power.
• Rosa runs off-grid solar organizations, the non-profit IDEAAS, which develops models for delivering low-cost off-grid power, and The Sun Shines for All, which implements those models by leasing solar power systems to off-grid communities in Rio Grande do Sul and Amazonia
• IDEAAS is currently developing a center for learning on renewable energy and decentralized generation to create best practices for energy delivery management and spread its knowledge  to other organizations worldwide.

 

Problem Addressed

• 25 million Brazilians have no access to electricity
• While grid connections are increasing for those in less isolated areas, 20% of  Brazilians still live too far from the grid to make centralized power feasible

 

Impact to Date

• The Sun Shines For All is further developing its rental program in Amazonia to increase market penetration by introducing a prepaid system, and is hoping to reach the other 50% of the population in existing communities and expand to more locations.
• IDEAAS has recently created a center for renewable energy and decentralized power generation to collect and disseminate knowledge on appropriate business models for off-grid energy delivery, in the hope that this can add to the rapid technical improvements currently occurring in off-grid energy worldwide to bring power to millions more people.
• IDEAAS is also organizing a Latin American Platform for Clean Energy Access for All, which is focused on spreading energy access for underserved populations within Latin America, and is linked to the 2012 UN Foundation International Year of Clean and Sustainable Energy Access for All.

 

Growth Plan

• The Sun Shines For All is further developing its rental program in Amazonia to increase market penetration by introducing a prepaid system, and is hoping to reach the other 50% of the population in existing communities and expand to more locations.
• IDEAAS has recently created a center for renewable energy and decentralized power generation to collect and disseminate knowledge on appropriate business models for off-grid energy delivery, in the hope that this can add to the rapid technical improvements currently occurring in off-grid energy worldwide to bring power to millions more people.
• IDEAAS is also organizing a Latin American Platform for Clean Energy Access for All, which is focused on spreading energy access for underserved populations within Latin America, and is linked to the 2012 UN Foundation International Year of Clean and Sustainable Energy Access for All.