d.light Wins $1.5m Zayed Future Energy Prize

d.light design, manufacturer/distributor of solar lighting products and Associate of the Lighting Africa program, has won the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the Small and Medium-size Enterprise category.

The prize, established in 2008, is given by the government of Abu Dhabi in honor of the environmental conservation legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s late ruler and Founder of the United Arab Emirates.

The Zayed Future Energy Prize recognizes innovative initiatives to conserve energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, increase production and use of clean, renewable energy.

It is presented annually at the World Future Energy Summit to companies that have shown outstanding, innovative achievements and leadership in the global search for a sustainable energy future.

“We are very honored to win the Zayed Future Energy Prize,” said d.light Chairman and CEO Donn Tice. “d.light represents an essential part of the future of energy: small-scale, distributed energy solutions at the community, household and individual level. Winning this prize will enable us to transform millions more lives that we would not otherwise reach as quickly. This is not just a win for d.light, but for everyone without access to reliable grid power.”

Winners were selected from a pool of 579 applicants from 88 countries. Siemens emerged winner in the Large Corporation category receiving a non-monetary recognition award; d.light took the Small and Medium sized Enterprises prize worth $1.5m; Ceres, took the  $1.5m NGO prize while  Dr. Jose Goldemberg, a physicist at the Institute of Electro-technics and Energy, Brazil, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award worth $500,000.

A new Global High School Prize worth $500,000 was introduced this year.  The prize money is divided among 5 regions (Africa, Asia, Americas, Oceania, and Europe) with each regional winner being awarded up to US$100,000.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Director General of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, said: “The Zayed Future Energy Prize is growing annually into a community that encompasses the various facets of renewable energy and sustainability.

Our finalists represent the future of the renewable energy and sustainability landscape and have demonstrated their capacity to embody the spirit of the Prize. In bringing these innovators together – in recognizing their relentless efforts towards a sustainable future – we honor the legacy left behind by our late founding father and ensure that we are fulfilling the vision of our leadership today.”

d.light, a for-profit social enterprise, operates in over 40 countries around the world, with four regional hubs, 10 sales offices and over 6,000 outlets.  Started in 2007, d.light has empowered over 12 million lives with clean lighting.

The company designs, manufactures and distributes solar light and power products throughout the developing world with an aim to transform the lives of at least 100 million people by 2020.