“Solar-Sharing” Might Save a Billion Dollars as Neighbors Share Their Power

Homes with excess, unused solar energy can now share their power with their neighbors, thanks to a start-up in Bangladesh whose mission is to curb more than a billion dollars’ worth of energy waste each year.

“We have created a device that can share the surplus energy and help people earn money for it,” says Salma Islam, a project manager at the Dhaka-based SOLshare. “If someone puts the device on auto-mode it will automatically start selling energy once its (battery is) full.”

SOLshare not only reduces power waste but has also helped to cut the use of polluting fuels such as kerosene or diesel. In July, British charity Ashden has given SOLshare an international award for climate change innovation, with CEO Harriet Lamb highlighting, “SOLshare is a true pioneer, creating neighbourhood networks of energy. Their peer-to-peer solar grid system means that no solar energy is wasted. It’s putting electricity into … hard-to-reach rural communities.”