Community solutions initiative: IEEE Power & Energy Society rural electrification initiative

The Power & Energy Society of the IEEE helped launch the Community Solutions Initiative in 2009, to address the situation of energy poverty which has nearly 1.5 billion people with no access to the electric grid. Progress is reported on coordination with various 3rd world nation-specific development organizations, the CSI-developed 1.5 kW solar installation system which serves 80 homes, and development of the sustainable business model operating at the `Base of the Pyramid' scale (4 billion people who earn less than $5 a day). Progress is set against the backdrop of development economics approaches to addressing poverty and the unique role of electrical energy.