India’s thrust towards renewable energy aligned with the mission to address environmental concerns has led to a tremendous growth of solar energy initiatives. A key advancement in this domain has been the increase of solar capacity in India, positioning the nation as one of the top solar markets globally. Having surpassed 90 GW capacity, the sector aims to reach a capacity of 500 GW by 2030. Installations of large-scale solar farms and rooftop solar systems, securing funding from domestic, and international investors, job creation across all levels, and economic growth are some of the results of this focus.
Combining the opportunities of growth in this segment, with the aim of empowering women, especially those in underserved and rural regions that face restrictions and limited access to employment opportunities, YNY Smart solar Energy was established by industry veteran Jeyakumar Natarajan.
Empowering Women
Empowered with over two decades of experience in top companies, Jeyakumar established YNY as a social enterprise focused on enhancing women’s contribution to the growing solar energy industry, enabling them to create solar products from home, overcoming the barriers of mobility restrictions, domestic responsibilities, and cultural hindrances. Not only did the company successfully make these women financially strong, it also offered flexible work models, and extensive training of the necessary skills to excel in this industry; arming them with the confidence to march towards greater gender-equality and financial independence.
“Our Green Women project, which aims at promoting both social and environmental sustainability, has overcome challenges of lack of local availability and affordable sourcing of high quality materials, along with financial challenges faced by the women to start their own journey. Our team collaborated with corporate manufacturing companies, local engineers, and suppliers, and developed training programs to build local skills. Moreover, by partnering with microfinance institutions and NGOs to provide affordable financing options, enabling women to access loans or subsidies to cover initial costs we helped them buy the materials needed to start work”, shares Jeyakumar Natarajan, Founder, YNY Smartsolar Energy.
Currently, YNY also offers consulting services, fostering collaborations, organizing knowledge-sharing initiatives, and providing cutting-edge technology, that effectively keeps Indian PV manufacturers updated on global trends and innovations. YNY’s role in this ecosystem ensures that customers stay competitive and maintain high standards in PV production while adapting to the latest technological advancements.
Driven to grow with the boom of the solar energy industry, YNY is proactively exploring a myriad of innovations in solar technology, particularly improving household solar products
Growth Prospective
“The success and scalability of the model in India, serve as a strong foundation for expansion into other countries, particularly those with similar socioeconomic and energy challenges. We aim to explore markets in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, where off-grid communities can benefit from affordable and sustainable solar solutions. Leveraging lessons learned in India, we are positioning ourselves to expand and replicate this success globally while continuing to prioritize community driven, scalable, and sustainable energy solutions”, concludes Jeyakumar.
Driven to grow with the boom of the solar energy industry, YNY is proactively exploring a myriad of innovations in solar technology, particularly improving household solar products. Some key innovations include miniaturized solar solutions, tailored to meet the demands of smaller homes and rural areas, and are easy-to-install. Another focus area is affordable energy storage systems, ensuring they are accessible to house holds and highly efficient.
Smart solar systems created by integration of smart technologies into household products like IoT-enabled solar panels and solar-powered smart appliances are also in the pipeline, along with solar-powered household divides and gadgets like lights, fans, and refrigerators that operate independently or as part of a larger solar-powered ecosystem. Beyond these, the company is also focusing on eco-friendly materials for solar panels and devices, incorporating sustainability throughout the entire lifecycle. Leveraging a forward-thinking mindset and a unique business model, YNY plans to lead the solar energy sector, while also empowering women.
.jpg "Overcoming the Hurdles of Scaling a Startup")
We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Read more...
