When Gyanesh Pandey was growing up in Bihar, India’s poorest state, electricity was rare – but rice husks were not. And as it turned out, rice husks could be turned into power at affordable rates, using a small-scale village model called ‘mini-grid’.

Founded in 2008, Husk Power Systems now is the leading net-zero energy company serving rural Asia and Africa, and owns and operates more than 200 community solar minigrids in Nigeria and India. But it is not just about electricity – it is about what electricity makes possible.

“For us the bottom line is development benefits,” Pandey says. “We are not just sellers of electricity; we are a powerhouse of rural development. Husk Power is committed to what we call a ‘2x return’ to the community: for every $1 we take out in revenue to Husk Power, we give an equivalent of $2 back through economic and social benefits.”