d.light Energy, a solar lighting products company, today outlined plans to set up a manufacturing unit in India with a potential investment of about $ 2 million.

The company based in India and supplying solar lighting systems in a number of countries, celebrated the major land mark of reaching out to about 50 million homes in Asia, Africa and other parts.

Ned Tozum, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of d.light Energy, said, “The company supplies solar- powered LED lighting products that help replace kerosene lamps in rural households and also in areas where there is erratic power supply.”

“Our immediate task is to cover 100 million homes by 2017. We have taken one light as a bench mark that supports five people in a family. We are on course to achieving this target. On Thursday, the company celebrated the landmark of reaching out to 50 million homes with its network of distributors and associates in Hyderabad,” he explained.

“We will finalise the location and set up the unit by next year,” he told Business Line.

The company currently sources solar-battery power LED lighting systems from a manufacturer in Shenzhen made to the company’s designs. These are robust, Sateesh Kumar, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, of the company said demonstrating by dropping the lighting products on the ground.

The company is entering the Southern marketing and has tied up with oil marketing companies like IOCL, BPCL and micro finance companies such as SKS and cooperative banks. Banks and MFIs support rural folk with funding to buy these products priced starting from Rs 495, Rs 645 and Rs 1,895, the last one also doubling up as a charger for mobile phones. In addition, the company also has a solar home lighting system priced at about Rs 6.00 per unit, Sateesh Kumar said.

The company has thus far raised over $ 10 million and may consider raising more funds to support expansion, Tozum said.

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