Ashden Award 2025 for Rural Innovation Presented to SELCO Solar Light Pvt. Ltd. SELCO Solar Light Pvt. Ltd. has been honored with the prestigious Ashden Award – 2025 for its pioneering work in rural innovation. Recognized globally as the "Green Oscar," this international award is a mark of distinction presented to SELCO for its outstanding contribution.
This marks SELCO’s third Ashden Award, after previous wins in 2005 and 2007. The 25th edition of the Ashden Awards was held at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society in London on June 11th, where the award was conferred.
Mr. Chris Barrett, LinkedIn’s Enterprise Accounts Director and Lead of the Go Green initiative, presented the Ashden Award to SELCO’s CEO, Mr. Mohan Bhaskar Hegde, and Deputy General Manager, Mr. Sudipta Ghosh. Rachel Kyte, Climate Envoy, and Vanessa Nakate, a youth climate activist from Uganda and member of the award jury, praised SELCO’s achievements in their keynote speeches.
SELCO: A Journey of Impact and Innovation, SELCO founded in 1995 by Dr. Harish Hande and Mr. Neville Williams, SELCO began its mission from Mangalore, Karnataka, to make solar energy accessible to underserved communities. It has grown into one of India’s leading social enterprises. Working across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, SELCO has consistently strived to make energy accessible to the underserved. The organization also collaborates with partners in Africa and Southeast Asia.
To date, SELCO has sold over 600,000 solar systems, impacting over 8 million lives. It has enabled over 24,000 solar-powered livelihood solutions in rural areas and set up digital classrooms powered by solar energy for more than 500,000 rural students. It has also supported 60 lakh (6 million) women through solar-powered health centers.
SELCO CEO Mr. Mohan Bhaskar Hegde said: As we face the evolving challenges of our country, and aim to make natural conveniences accessible with ease, the use of clean energy is at the heart of sustainable progress.
It brings with it development and a renewed sense of hope. Protecting the innate intelligence of traditional rural individuals – and nurturing their skills through social entrepreneurship – is essential for growth. The coming generations will remember and value this.
A sustainable society will be shaped by such transformation. The honor of this award belongs not only to our institution but also to our dedicated leadership team – including our DGM Gururprakash Shetty, Prasanna Hegde, Sudipta Ghosh, and all our supporters, colleagues,business associates and stakeholders involved in our operations, financial, society, and partnerships. We are deeply grateful to the guiding leadership that helped us reach this milestone,
Dr. Ashok Sinha, CEO of Ashden, added: “The 2025 Ashden Award winners are some of the most inspiring changemakers building a brighter future. SELCO’s scalable solutions prove that inclusive and impactful energy access is possible.”
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