IXL Social Enterprise Case Studies Energy January 2012 | Page 4

Revolutionizing the way to make energy affordable for everyone
Good lighting gives adults a chance to work more
and earn more income
By extending the workday, adequate lighting
can have a significant positive impact on the
productivity and prosperity of individuals,
households and communities.
In places where opportunities to earn a cash
income are relatively scarce, many individuals
pursue crafts and operate cottage industries in
their homes in the evening. While the materials
required for activities like preparing food
products, mending clothes or weaving baskets
are relatively inexpensive, light can be a major
cost for at-home work in the evenings.
In the last several decades, projects around
the world have demonstrated that access to
inexpensive lighting can dramatically improve the
profitability of this informal work. For example,
a World Bank project in India that tracked the
impact over several years of improved lighting

solutions in rural communities showed that
inexpensive solar lighting improved the income
of some households by 15 to 30 percent because
of increased home industry output.4
Good lighting leads to more learning
The benefits of good lighting are particularly
pronounced for students.
Schools with quality lighting in communities
where good lighting is scarce often have an
easier time attracting people, both young and
old, to classes and group study sessions after
dark. One study in Malawi, for example, showed
that improving the lighting in schools can lead
to dramatic increases in time spent reading and
studying, as well as improved after-hour school
usage for additional learning and adult literacy.3
Schools with quality lighting have increased
attendance, better teacher retention, and
significant improvements in exam scores.

Average blackouts per month
Guinea
Nigeria
Congo, Rep.
Gambia, the
Chad
Niger
Congo. Dem.
Rep.
Sierra Leone
Benin
Madagascar
Rwanda
Burundi
Tanzania
Senegal
Togo
Uganda
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Angola
Gabon
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Ethiopia
Cape Verde
Algeria
Mali
Cote d’lvoire
Mauritania
Zambia
Mauritius
Mozambique
Entrea
Swaziland
South Africa
Botswana
Namibia
Malawi

34

20
14
14
14

10
10
7
7
7

4
4
4
4

1

2
2
2
2

8

11
11
11

16

23

24

25

26

17

12
12
12

9

5
5
5
5

3
3
3

Mean = 10
Figure 1. Reliability of the African Power Grid
Source:WB/IFC Enterprise Analysis Unit (2006-2008)
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