d.light chairman and CEO Donn Tice says, "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."
Prizewinners were selected via a four-stage process that enlists the expertise of leaders around the world from a total pool of 579 applicants. "We are on a mission to transform the lives of 100 million people in the developing world by 2020," Tice says. "This past October, we reached a major milestone, empowering 10 million lives with our solar lanterns in over 40 countries around the world."
d.light is a for-profit social enterprise whose purpose is to create new freedoms for customers without access to reliable power. It designs, manufactures and distributes solar light and power products throughout the developing world.