solar electric light fund
This case is about an organization that introduces solar technologies into the developing world. Many environmentalists argue that these developing economies represent one of the best opportunities for introducing environmentally sustainable technologies before they replicate the pollution that was a side-effect of our own industrial revolution. Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) systems fulfill another goal: the solar technologies are produced locally, thus adding jobs.
But SELF's experience also raises social justice issues. They have introduced their systems into rural locations in China––in order to do that, they have had to work with the Chinese government, thereby helping an undemocratic regime in its constant battle for legitimacy. This concern may be partly mitigated by the fact that SELF's solar cells can be put on the roofs of individual homes, allowing power to be de-centralized.
Case A
SELF seeks to fulfill two seemingly contradictory objectives: rural electrification and environmental preservation. Implicit in the case is that the method that China selects to electrify could result in serious environmental problems that affect the entire world. The students explore alternative energy options for developing countries such as China.
Case B
This case demonstrates that corporate ideology plays an integral role in determining how to finance projects. Students only realize the case aim if they understand the ideological beliefs of both SELF and its founder, Neville Williams.
Case C
This case explores a black, rural, unelectrified village in South Africa that has been targeted for a photovoltaics pilot project by SELF. While the effort to electrify this impoverished village was well-intentioned, SELF C challenges the student to consider some negative consequences of this apparently innocuous project. The student is called upon to understand how a traditional community attempting to improve its living standards could be socially divided and possibly destroyed by the same technology that purports to be helping it.