Who knew that waste could be turned into gold?

Its 1.2 billion population and 6.5% GDP growth in 2011 are pushing India towards a drastic shift in its urban and industrial waste policy. The country is plagued with nearly 55 million of tons of municipal solid waste and 38 billion liters of sewage. Greater consumption and rising incomes in India are increasing pressure on the environment. The authorities will have to address waste to energy initiative. Waste to energy technologies can treat and process waste, turn it into renewable energy resources, clear the landfill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. India’s potential for waste to energy initiatives is greater now that the Indian Government is promoting the technologies.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) admits that there is a potential of about 1,700MW from urban waste and 1,300MW from industrial waste. Waste to energy process recovers energy from a fraction of waste, thus clearing the way for the development of a new kind of renewable energy. The potential lies in the great amount of waste available in India and the incentive measures that should be implemented in this field. Waste to energy technology can use thermal conversion, thermo-chemical conversion, biochemical conversion, or electrochemical conversion. This potential combined with highly volatile fuel prices is enough reason for India to take a close look at the energy technology option. It should also be a profitable business as soon as the government provides incentives, such as capital subsidies and feed-in tariffs. Above all, waste to energy could be a key to further energy independence. Yet, according to MNRE, only 24MW have been exploited so far and less than 2% of total potential has been achieved.

Waste to energy technology is a nascent process, requiring several readjustments. One, the new technologies and their equipment have to be imported, putting a greater strain on general costs. State governments do not seem to have really considered this opportunity since no policy guidelines have emerged yet. Indian waste could turn into gold, as it could become one of the new alternatives to energy dependency and provide India with sustainable resources. The next step could be further cooperation with the waste management sector with a view to expanding to other Asian countries.

Microfinance for Water and Sanitation: An Example of Client-Focused Innovation

Did you know that more people in the world have a mobile phone than a toilet? Did you know that a third of humanity does not have access to adequate sanitation? Did you know that over a billion people do not have access to safe water? It’s hard to imagine how the world would look if fewer people had trouble securing their water supply. It would probably translate into a drastic global increase in productivity.

The prospect is tantalizing, the challenge colossal. Yet, satisfying results remain frustratingly elusive. Microfinance has often been seen has key to making a global difference by reaching people on an individual basis. Surprisingly, the microfinance world has long struggled to find an elegant solution to water supply challenges. Admittedly, numerous wells have been drilled but, more often than not, lack of funding for maintenance and skill training has entailed the short to medium term failure of the effort. Now, a new microfinance organization is taking a shot at a new model of delivering efficiently targeted funding to ensure long lasting results. Water.org has launched an initiative called WaterCredit that plans on tackling the problem of water access by focusing on the related bottleneck that is access to water.

What‘s interesting, and innovative with the WaterCredit model is that Water.org doesn’t simply handout one-shot grants but builds a portfolio of initiatives. These initiatives are funded provided they result in a simultaneous increase in infrastructure, local know-how and overall capacity. The model is having tremendous success and now boasts over 57,000 loans distributed by 24 WaterCredit partners in four countries in Asia and Africa. The WaterCredit model is actually lighting the path to a new idea of microfinance, instilled with ideas of eco-sustainability that may very well be the future.

Low Cost Tablets Revolutionizing High Quality Education

For most western consumers, buying a tablet may seem like a trivial consumer gesture. After all, most households are already equipped with one or more PCs, smart phones have replaced cell phones and people are actually struggling to cut down on the time they spend in front of a screen. However, such is not the case everywhere else in the world. For students at many universities in India, not having access to a tablet can be a true drawback at a time when learning to master technology is a skill of paramount importance for a successful career.

This could be about to change, thanks to efforts by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the support of the Indian Government. Back in October 2011, Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal announced the launch of a new low-cost tablet called Aakash targeting university students. London-based Datawind working with the Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan developed the tablet. The killer feature is obviously its price. At $35, the tablet is actually cheaper than the accessories for other tablets. However, the low price necessarily involved limits; after the first 30,000 units were handed out, it became obvious that – albeit a beautiful idea – the device was a tad underpowered and did not deliver on its promises. But this wasn’t enough to stop the movement and in April 2012 a new version of the tablet was announced. The specs have been doubled and the product seems ready to flex its muscles. Students were quick to realize this; 25,000 tablets have been pre-booked by students from Mumbai University alone – highlighting students’ keen interest in technology. Actually, the official website was under assault for hours.

As a result, the government has allocated an exceptional 765 crore to fast track the project, while ensuring that production remains local. The beauty of it is that thousands of students will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with an ecosystem based on Android, a Google operating system widely used around the world and take advantage of the richness of the web to further their education. This is a shining example of rapid innovation and iteration benefitting both education and the industries behind it.

Solar Power, Still the Cheapest Source of Light for India’s Poorest, Even at Night

India’s power grid is solid, yet sadly still very unequally distributed. In regions such as Uttar Pradesh, for many, being connected to the grid remains wishful thinking. For years, the poorest have struggled with analog means of energy at night, generally relying on relatively expensive, poorly efficient and highly polluting kerosene-based heating and lighting. But now things are starting to change as a revolutionary new start-up is making its way through India, and starting with the country’s poorest.

Created by US-born entrepreneurs Nikhil Jaisanghani and Brian Shaad, Mera Gao Power provides extremely cheap lighting and mobile phone charging services to individual houses by installing solar-powered micro-grids in villages. By subscribing to the service for the initial cost of 40 rupees, each household receives two LED lights and a mobile-charging outlet. The service provides efficient energy per household for 25 rupees per week, a price that the vast majority of the poorest can afford. For most, it’s actually very much worth the investment, as it allows individuals to continue working after dark and largely makes up for the cost of the service.

The start-up has got off to a flying start, allowing parents to cook and work after dark and children to keep on studying. Hopefully, the product should soon translate into a measurable increase in standards of living in the rural communities of Uttar Pradesh. Not to mention that for once a product provides cheaper solution that is actually more ecologically sustainable than what it replaces. Mera Gao Power’s idea is changing lives and the environment, one village at a time. The founders have set a goal of reaching 100,000 households by 2016. We do hope they will.

Sustainable Finance: The Indian Way

Modern finance is often seen as a cold, heartless and faceless machine, manipulating billions with complex formulas, as if they were only abstract numbers and, overall, caring little about the very real consequences that the ups and downs of the financial markets can have on the rest of the economy. Similarly, when the corporate giants of finance are mentioned, India is generally not the first place that comes to mind. However, finance in India is a thriving sector that may have much to teach the rest of the world.

In a recent article, Financial Times correspondent David Gait explores the many faces and idiosyncrasies of Indian finance. He distinguishes three defining features special to the country’s financial culture, which could probably benefit the rest of the world. The first one is Dharma, the idea that man is responsible for maintaining the regulatory order of the universe. Dharma may be interpreted as ‘duty’, a concept arguably rare in other financial cultures. Secondly, David Gait identifies how corporate governance has become integral to financial culture in India. Whether in companies with poor governance, such as Satyam Computer, or in companies that take good governance to heart, Indian business leaders have a very clear idea of the importance of social, environmental responsibility and governance for business. According to Gait, the most financially successful Indian firms are the ones that have embraced sustainable developments by systematically innovating to provide affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly products.

All in all, David Gait’s insight into India’s financial culture shows how religious and philosophical ideas have come to mesh with real-world business sense and practical realities to form a very peculiar brand of financial culture. In a fascinating way, the best and worst of India’s industry have helped build a culture that is intent on succeeding as well as respectful of others. India’s financial sector demonstrates a culture of consensus and sustainability that is showing promising results in a world dominated by the pressure for short-term results at any cost. Let’s hope it makes more converts across the world.