solar cooker bplan-suryopahar bplan

7/31/2019 Solar Cooker BPlan-Suryopahar BPlan

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Energy solutions for a better life

K. J. SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH, Mumbai, IndiaAshwath Bereke

Gautam Jaju

Guruprasad Padmanabhan

Jaya Longani

Swapna Mukherjee


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The entire Suryopahar team would like to thank all the below members without whose

support our business plan could not have been complete.

Our mentors Prof. Radha Iyer, Prof. Archana Patankar, Prof. Rekha Rau, Prof. K.S. Ranjini(SIMSR) for their continued support throughout the process

The ACARA Institute especially Mr. Fred Rose and Ms. Sri Ganti Mr. Yavalkar, Scientist at Marathi Vigyan Parishad Mr. Pradeep Lokhande of Rural Relations in helping us connect to the village, Bhivri Mr. Tyagarajan of Vinimay Trust Mr. Ravi Gudi, Professor- IITB Ms. Ira Jhangiani, Independent Consultant on Design thinking Mr. Ajay Chandak, CEO of PRINCE Mr. Radha Krishna Das, Managing Program Director of ISKCON Food Relief Foundation The entire Cornell team Rupal Naidu for helping us connect with the community K. J. Somaiya Institute for giving us the opportunity to participate in the ACARA

challenge


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary Page 1

Background Page 2

The Concept and Potential Business Opportunity Page 3

Benefits of using a solar cooker Page 4

Research Findings Page 4

Business model Page 5

Implementation Plan Page 7

Business operational Structure Page 8

Financials Page 9

Competition Page 9

Risks Page 9

Our vision Page 10

Appendix A: Solar Cooker Construction Methodology Page 11

Appendix B: Research Questionnaire Page 13

Appendix C: Social Return on Investment Page 14

Appendix D: Factors promoting the use of solar cooker Page 16

Appendix E: Detailed Projected Financials Page 16

Appendix F: The Somaiya Team members profiles Page 20

Appendix G: References Page 20


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Throughout the history of mankind, the sun has been of paramount importance. It is a gigantic

source of energy, which sparked, nurtured and has been sustaining life on earth. Hence, various

civilizations like the Aztec, Chinese, Indian, etc considered the Sun as a God.

Though modern astronomers have proved that the Sun is just one of the millions of stars in the

universe, its significance has not diminished. We need to find ways to effectively utilize its

energy in order to successfully combat the energy crises that our planet is bound to face.

One such way is to use it as a means to cook food by using solar cookers. Solar cooker

complements traditional cooking using gas/LPG, it cannot completely replace the existing forms

of cooking.

The study of the project started with getting technical assistance from experts of clean

technology. We attended courses on Design Thinking, and Biofuels along with other clean

energy generation methodologies. We visited communities in Mumbai and Pune to understand

the level of disposable income and their perceptions for clean energy for cooking. After

evaluating different options and communities, we chose solar cooker as a means of clean energy

for cooking. The Somaiya team then underwent training on the assembly of Solar Cooker. All the

above helped us in getting the necessary inputs in further pursuing our idea.

We intend to bring down the imaginary gap between the solar cooker technology and the rural

poor. Our value addition would be in terms of the ways employed to take this technology into

the poorer households, make them realise the benefits of using solar cooker, and provide

employment to the rural villagers. We make solar cookers affordable by making the villagers

assemble the solar cookers. Usage of solar cookers will bring down the cost incurred in

alternate fuels for cooking and meet the long-term demand of energy for cooking of the presentand future generations.

We have initiated relationships with our supply chain partners. The training of the rural

villagers will happen in PRINCE (Promoters and Researchers In Non-Conventional Energy)

located in Dhule, Maharasthra. For the first year of operations, our target school has been

identified as Prathamik Vidyalaya and the target village as Bhivri both located in Pune,

Maharashtra. We wish to target two more schools in Mumbai which is served the mid-day meals

by ISKCON.


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Our greatest challenge lies in increasing awareness about the benefits of solar cookers among

the BOP (Bottom of the Pyramid). We need to make them realise the health related issues from

traditional methods of cooking. These health risks are often overlooked or ignored. Many do not

even relate the health problems to methods of cooking.

One more area that we needed to focus on was to bring the cost of solar cooker further down.Even when the poor have the purchasing power to buy a solar cooker, the one-time cost

incurred to buy it and the associated lack of awareness of its long-term benefits leads to the

villagers becoming averse to buying them. Hence easy credit options, sponsorships, etc need to

be looked at.

BACKGROUND

Energy Scenario in Rural India:

About 70% of the Indians live in rural areas and use animal dung, agricultural waste,fuel wood as fuel for cooking

Particulate matter in the Indian rural households is 2000 micro gm/cubic m which ismuch higher than the permissible 150 micro gm/cubic m.

Use of traditional fuel is estimated to cause around 400,000 premature annual deathsdue to various respiratory problems.

So, there is an acute necessity of a solution that can tackle the dual issues of deaths due to

respiratory problems from using traditional fuels and the need to meet the demand for

energy that is not being met by wood, coal, LPG, oil, etc.


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Availability of Sunlight in India Annual Isolation

With about 300 clear sunny days in a year, India's theoretical solar power reception, just on its

land area, is about 5 PWh/year (i.e. = 5000 trillion kWh/yr ~ 600 TW). The daily average solar

energy incident over India varies from 4 to 7 kWh/m2 with about 2,3003,200 sunshine hours

per year, depending upon location. So, there is huge potential is using this energy to meet ourgoals. Quite disturbingly, the present state of exploitation of solar energy is insignificant in

comparison to its estimated potential in the country.

Therefore, we adopted the concept of solar cooker as a clean energy for cooking.

THE CONCEPT AND POTENTIAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

The tremendous growth in population has led to India facing an intense crisis of resources. The

exploitation of mineral resources is threatening forests, nature reserves, and ecology. Seventy

percent of the energy resources need to be imported putting constant pressure on the nation to

export more or face currency devaluation.

The growth in population also fuels the ever increasing demand for food and consequently the

need for cooking fuels. The solar cooker concept has been in existence for quite some time. Over

this time period, it has continuously improved in terms of effectiveness. But what has still not

improved is its awareness. For the segment of people who need it the most, the awareness is

almost non-existent. The implementation of solar cookers on a large scale has never really

happened.

The Solar team of ACARA wanted to tap this opportunity as there is a huge potential business

opportunity by targeting the bottom of the pyramid for their energy needs. Most of the StateGovernments in India have initiated implementing mid-day meal schemes in primary and

municipal government schools. With this they wish to cover every underprivileged child

belonging to the poorer sections of the society. There is a great opportunity to collaborate with

government agencies and making solar cooker a main mode of cooking in India. Communicating

the benefits of the solar cooker would enhance usage of solar cookers in the rural community.

Hence with proper efforts, the social and economic impact created can be great and withuseful collaborations and economies of scale, profits can be generated with cost reduction.

The team decided to find out the right target group who could afford to invest in a solar cooker

and reap its benefits for a very long time. India lives in villages and many of the rural poor often

lose out on even two meals a day. Prima facie it appears that they are incapable of purchasing

and using solar cookers and hence dismiss this opportunity forthright.

But the team decided to challenge the assumptions and did a lot of ground work to find out the

disposable income in the hands of the rural households and also the perception about

alternative energy for cooking. The team visited communities in Mumbai and Pune and

ultimately found that the problem can be tackled by lowering the cost of a solar cooker by using

cheaper alternative materials for construction and not compromising on quality at the same

time. All this coupled with easy financing options and awareness raising programs make the

cookers affordable and attractive for these families.
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BENEFITS OF A SOLAR COOKER

Environmental Benefits

The fuel source is unlimited and environmental friendly No need to use firewood , dung etc

No smoke, cleaner air and environment Slows deforestation (one domestic solar cooker saves 2 full-grown trees per year)Financial Benefits

Although the initial investment is high, the cost can be recovered by thecommunities/households within 8-9 months

A typical family of four spends Rs.450 a month on LPG. This can be reduced and a savingof upto Rs.150 a month can be achieved, by cooking one meal per day on a solar cooker

Savings for a school or an orphanage or any university that would be implementing thesolar cookers would be enormous. The spending on LPG would reduce and the costs of

implementing a solar cooker can be recovered through these savings.

No maintenance costs and one solar cooker last for 10 years.Social Benefits

Reduction in the number of deaths due to traditional fuels Awareness building for children and their parents Creates rural employment and increases self-esteem Health benefits due to availability of clean air and hygienic food Positive influence of creating may more such models

RESEARCH FINDINGS

1.ORPHANAGES/ NGOs

Vinimay Trust - a 27 year old institution for the youth. These youth are above 18 yrs of age. The hostel capacity is 50-60 boys.

Feasibility Constraints Boys carry lunch boxes from hostel to work. So cooking is done before 6.30 am

which comprises of both breakfast and lunch.

Dinner around 7.30 pm If they purchase a solar cooker worth Rs.50, 000-Rs.60,000, they can use it only

on Sundays. So from a cost-benefit analysis, it's not worth the cost.

The trust is run by volunteers and donated money. They have no overhead costsas the building itself was donated. It is difficult to raise such huge amounts of

money.


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2. RURAL VILLAGES Bhivri Village, Pune district 130 Km from Mumbai City. Met 6-7 families and surveyed a school Varying family sizes (6-13 people average in one family) Occupation is Farming mostly sugarcanes

Education level Older generation have low level of schooling but the youngergeneration is more aware and some of them are graduates Income Levels Rs.6, 000 12,000 a month. Income level is dependent on their

farming activities

Feasibility Constraints Most of the families have LPG, but they use it as standby. Cooking is mainly done

using choola (traditional wood based) and kerosene stoves.

1 LPG cylinder lasts for 1-1.5 months and costs them around Rs.320 per month,Kerosene costs around Rs.100 a month.

Daily food consists ofchapathis or rotis, daland rice, non vegetarian food During peak seasons, the women folk will be busy in the farms Lack of Awareness about solar cookers Concern of theft

3. SCHOOLS AND HOSTELS Bhivri Village. The School serves Khichdi everyday as part of mid-day meal scheme to students LPG is used to make the food. Khichdi is an Indian food preparation made up of Rice and Dal. It is very easy to

prepare. 25Kg Khichdi is prepared daily to serve 200 students

Solar cooker seems to be the perfect fit and provide cost savings. They welcomed the idea of using Solar Cookers to make the food and were

willing to spread the word about the benefits of using clean energy cooking like

Solar cooking among the rest of the village.

Feasibility Constraints Initial Investment Approval from concerned authorities

BUSINESS MODEL

We aim to make the solar cookers economical by using cheaper materials, and not reducing the

performance significantly. Keeping this objective in perspective, we took part in a workshop on

building a solar cooker by an eminent scientistMr. Yavalkar, who has been working on varioussolar cooker designs for the past 18 years.

The assembly of the solar cooker from the apparatus is explained in Appendix A. This

procedure is easy to replicate. Additionally, it encourages the people to build their own cookers.

We can take this concept further, by encouraging them to assemble the cookers as a part time

profession and hence generating employment among the poor.

Our business model is based on Solar Entrepreneurship. We can employ and provide trainingto unemployed youth from rural villagers on how to construct solar cookers. The following

steps need to be taken for this business model to succeed.


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MARKETING

Concept Selling1. Many people havent seen a solar cooker. They need to be shown the product and its

working.

2.

Education about clean surroundings, hygiene, clean drinking water, etc and thenintroducing solar cooker as an additional point would help increase acceptability. It has

to be build around something that is directly involved in their welfare. A lot of trust

issues are to be resorted too.

3. It is not enough to tell them only about solar cooker technology but it is also importantto showcase on tangible lines how it is beneficial to them in long run. Some hard

experiential evidence is necessary.

4. People would be reluctant to switch unless they are taught and made to realize the harmthey do their bodies by not using a cleaner source of cooking

Increasing awareness about the product1. Demonstration in school through plays involving locals2. Demos in nearby identified influential families/ educated individuals who can propagate

the concept

3. Free testing4. Ease of use/ personnel assistance5. People can calculate the savings by using the product for a month.6. Word of mouth: Include few opinion leaders like LIC agents, people who go to cities for

livelihood.

7. Taking help from banks and other institutions active in the area to spread the word andfinancial collaboration called Bachat Gat in Marathi, a local language used in

Maharashtra.

8. Involving the corporates which are interested in CSR activities in the area and designingspecial target programs for propagation

9. Special learning camps / workshops teaching how to operate10.Demonstration in Melas (fairs) and Haats in villages11.Propagating the idea as one that generates a source of livelihood12.Sometimes bringing in personalities with whom they can identify or some actions that

develop universal appeal as in case of pulse polio campaign so that everybody believes

that it is important and imperative to have cleaner source of energy

OPERATIONS

Material Procurement. Assembly of Solar Cookers. Logistics Aspects Transportation of raw materials and finished goods, Storing and

warehousing them.

Procedure for testing solar equipment Extending free consultation to all social organizations for use of non-conventional

energy.

FINANCE

The Cost of Constructing a Solar Cooker (Box type) Rs. 1500-1800 to buy theapparatus for solar cooker, and about Rs. 250 for the assembly. Hence, Rs. 1750 2150

for construction of a box-type solar cooker. The Cost of Parabolic cookers - Rs.25, 000.

Cooking Capacity 30 to 40 people.


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Garner support from Institutes like IREDA, the financing arm of MNRE (Ministry of Newand Renewable Energy) to facilitate the commercialization and market development of

renewable energy. It has emerged as one of the main instruments for promoting

development and financing renewable energy technologies and projects. It has been able

to tie up funds from leading multilateral agencies, bilateral organizations, and domestic

financial institutions for lending to end-users, manufacturers, financial intermediaries,

and entrepreneurs predominantly in the private sector

Tie up with banks like the Surya Shakti Scheme by Andhra Bank (as Soft Loan schemefor Solar Water Heaters (SWH) and solar cookers under the Interest Subsidy)

REVENUE

The revenues will be earned by selling the solar cookers at a price slightly more than the cost of

assembly. Hence, the business model will become sustainable and profitable.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

The critical success factors are proper concept selling, promoting the use of solar cookers to the

bottom of the pyramid, creating local opinion leaders, proper networking or connecting with the

rural people at grass root level and gaining their trust and confidence to build long and fruitful

business relationships.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Our target segment in Phase 1 would be Orphanages/ NGOs, Schools and Hostels in rural areas

(B2B) and in phase 2 the below poverty line households/families of the slums in and around

Mumbai (B2C). The target group has to have rice as their staple food as rotis cannot be cooked

in solar cookers. Our focus would be first on schools and communities providing mid-deal meals

in Mumbai and Pune before moving on to the other states.


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BUSINESS OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE

Managing Director - The managing director has responsibility for the overall management of acompany, including the staff, the customers, the budget, the company's assets and all other

company resources to make the best use of them and increase the company's profitability. The

MD leads the company and develops the corporate culture for the organization.

Marketing & Sales The marketing and sales department's goal is to increase the number ofinteractions between potential customers and company, which includes the sales team using

promotional techniques such as advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and public relations,creating new sales channels, sales pitch, opportunity identification, and the closure of the order.

Operations: The chief role of the operations department is to assemble the solar cookers as perthe sales requirement. A trained Operations manager will impart the solar cooker assembly

training to two assistants and will oversee the quality of work done and ensure timely

execution. He will also be responsible for procuring raw materials as and when needed,

negotiations with vendors, preparing purchase orders, logistics and transportation.

Finance: A financial officer is required to handle all the accounts, record expenses, revenuesand profits, and prepare income statements and balance sheets for the company.

Rural employees of Bhivri village are sent to PRINCE located in Dhule, Maharashtra forfree training of assembly of solar cookers.Ajay Chandak, CEO of PRINCE is open to anykind of collaboration that leads to acceptability of solar cookers by rural masses.

Phase-1 begins in the summer of the first year in Prathamik Vidyalaya consisting of200 students and located in Bhivri Village, Pune. The head of the school has shown

willingness to get all the required permission from the government authorities for the

implementation of the Solar Cooker.

Managing

Director

Marketing &

SalesOperations Finance
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We will also cover two schools catered to by ISKCON. ISKCON in a combined initiativewith the Government of Maharashtra provides mid-day meal to more than 200,000

students (as on 28th June 2009). Radha Krishna Das, Managing Program Director ofISKCON, has shown acceptance to incorporate solar cookers to grow their service to

more schools.

We will spread awareness among people of a target community by conducting publicdemonstrations in haats (fairs), distributing free testing samples of solar cookers,

involving corporate, influence leaders, popular personalities to increase acceptability.

Identifying banks and financial institutions that will be willing to finance or provideloans to villagers and developing tie ups with them.

After a period of 6 months (of the start of the venture), we wish to start Phase-II. In thefirst year of operations, we would sell solar cookers to the same village (Bhivri).

After overseeing the implementation in the first year of operations, we would selectother schools and villages before moving to other states.

FINANCIALS

Notes:

The break-even will be in 3 years. So, we expect a start-up capital of$ 75, 023.47.

COMPETITION

The technology of constructing a solar cooker is easily available and can be copiedeasily. There is a threat of others duplicating the plan. However the market potential is

huge. About 70% of Indians live in rural areas and use animal dung, agricultural waste

and fuel wood as fuel for cooking.

Traditional fuels for cooking are still predominantly used in most of the households. So,we would go for aggressive marketing techniques to change the perception of the rural

community towards traditional fuels and alternative forms of clean energies for cooking.

RISKS

Some shortcomings of a Solar Cooker

Solar cookers cannot be used to make chapathis and fries. Time taken to cook food is around 1-2 hours Slums have space constraints. It does work during night time or during rains. It is most effective between 9am 2 pm. Theft of cookers is also an area of concern.


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ADDRESSING RISKS

1) It cannot wok during night or on rainy days - The Solar Cooker solution proposed iscomplementary to the existing solution. Hence LPG/ gas cylinders should be kept as a

standby in case of cooking during night/rainy days. At a later stage, if we want to

completely eliminate conventional mode of cooking, then solar energy can be collectedduring daytime by solar panels and stored using battery banks. This stored energy can

be used for cooking during night/rainy conditions using an electric cooker.

2) Cannot be used to cook all kinds of food The solution is complementary and can beused only to achieve fuel savings. This solution will work effectively in areas where rice

is the staple food. Eg South India and also in schools.

3) Time taken to cook is around 2 hrs in box type cooker Technological constraint.The time required to cook can be reduced by incorporating a reflector which can help

concentrate the sun rays effectively. In parabolic cookers the cooking time is much

lesser.

4) Theft of cookers The cooker can be protected from theft by advising users to keep thecooker either on the roof of the house or in a place where it is visible at all times.

OUR VISION:

Solar Cooker integrated into village life


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APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: SOLAR COOKER CONSTRUCTION METHODOLOGY

The apparatus for the construction of a solar cooker consists of the following:

Aluminium sheetWooden Plywood

Cotton/Paper/Sand - any natural heat insulator

Screws and nails

Rubber Gasket

Fevibond - to stick rubber

wooden border frame

Toughened Glass

Normal Glass

Hinges

Optional: Wheel, Handles, etc.

Procedure:

Cut and fold the Aluminium sheet as per the defined dimensions Fill the wooden box with sufficient quantity of cotton, till it is almost full. Place the aluminium sheet inside the wooden box Fix the rims of the aluminium sheet to the box using nails Slide the glass sheet inside the wooden frame. Place this frame on top of the

arrangement. Use hinges to attach it to the box

Use steel boxes, painted black from outside to cook the food in.


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Some important aspects to be noted are:

The solar cooker can be used to prepare both the lunch and dinner. It works best whenput outside to get maximum sunlight. To prepare lunch, cook between 9 am 12pm. It

takes around 2 hrs to cook. Soon after lunch is prepared, the cooker can be used to

prepare dinner. Word of caution, open the lid only when the food is about to be served.

Do not open the lid even if cooking is over as there will be loss of heat.

Over-boiling does not occur in a solar cooker because the temperature inside a solarcooker is very less as compared to the normal cookers.

No maintenance is required for solar cookers. Only periodic dusting and cleaning isneeded. A solar cooker lasts for 10 yrs.


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The vessel inside it should be painted with blackboard colour on its outer surface(except the base).

Solar cooker is mostly useful to those households whose main food items are rice, dal,curry (Sabji), etc as Chapathis, and fries cannot be made in this cooker.

Food made in solar cooker tastes better because the essential vitamins are retained. We can cook eggs, meat balls, potato, groundnuts, etc by wrapping them in an

aluminium foil and placing them directly in the cooker and not inside the container.

For a rectangular solar cooker, reflector is not needed (especially for countries in theSouth Asia, where the sun rays are almost directly incident throughout the year).

The break-even period for a solar cooker is 8-9 months, for a family of 4-5 people. The bottom of the vessel should be as wide as possible, and its thickness should be less

for quick cooking.

A small box-type cooker is sufficient for a family of 5.APPENDIX B: RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE (MUMBAI SLUM ETHNOGRAPHY DISCUSSION

GUIDE)

Community Can you describe the community structure to me? (Could also ask to draw a map or

picture)

Does your family have relationships with other people or families in the community?What types of relationships are they (i.e. family, friendship, business or transactional,

acquaintance, etc.)

Do people in community trust each other? Why or why not? Is theft a concern in the community? If yes, why? What is the most expensive object that you or someone in your community has

purchased recently? How much does it cost? What do you think of it?

Home

Would you mind giving me a tour of your home? Is your home similar to other homes in the community? If not, can you describe what

those are like?

Can you describe or show me what takes place during a typical 24 hours in your home?(Who is there, coming and going; what are they doing; etc.)

Cooking

Can you show me the staple food items in your diet? Who all is involved in the cooking process? Is it just you or do others help with the

cooking or grocery shopping, gathering of water or fuel, etc.?

Can you show me how you cook? What equipment do you use? What type of fuel? How long does it take to cook? Is heat/stove on continuously? If not, how many times do

you turn it on a day?

Do you enjoy cooking for your family? What do you enjoy about it? Is there anything that you would do differently if you could? What foods would you want

to cook if you could?

Can you describe the grocery shopping process? Who decides what to buy? Who goes tobuy the groceries? Where do you buy them? How much do you spend on groceries

(daily, weekly, or monthly)?

Are you happy with your stove? What do you or dislike about it?


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If you were to buy a new stove, what would you like on it (in terms of benefits: e.g. cooksfaster, easy to use, etc.)

If you were to buy your new stove, would you have to ask your husband for money? Doyou think he would agree? Why yes, why not?

Can you describe how your family gets fuel for cooking? What do you use? How much doyou pay or Who collects it? How often do you collect it? Where do you collect it; how faraway is it? Are you happy with your current source of fuel? If not, what dont you likeabout it and what would you want to change?

Can you describe how your family gets water for the home? Who collects it? How oftendo you collect it? Where do you collect it; how far away is it? Are you happy with your

current source of water? If not, what dont you like about it and what would you want tochange?

Eating

How many times a day do you and your family eat? When are meals consumed and with whom? Does everyone eat together all the time? Is it same throughout the week? Weekend? Holidays? How often do holidays take place? How is holiday cooking different from your typical

cooking?

APPENDIX C: SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT

1) Women can spend more time on other activities than cooking -In those families that rely on gathered firewood instead of purchased wood or charcoal,

women and girls usually do most of the fuel collecting. Under some economic analyses,

the time spent gathering the wood would be considered a cost of cooking. We can find

out how women are utilizing the time saved by using solar cookers. Eg: they may be

involved in taking care of their children, more time for social interactions or other

income generating opportunities.

2) Health and Family HarmonyMens attitudes can support the acceptance of solar cooking. There are examples of men

praising their wives move to solar cooking because of the lack of smoke and soot. Somemen have said that with solar cooking their wives smell better (not smoky), look better

(no red eyes from smoke), feel better (reduced coughing) and have more time for the

family. We can ask men about how introduction of solar cooker has improved the family

harmony. Health benefits can be quantified by recording the number of villagers

succumbing to air pollution/ smoke related ailments.

3) Gender EqualityMen can begin cooking their own meals as it is simple to cook food using solar cookers.

This is especially useful for single men with no female relatives. They may also like

cooking using a solar cooker because it is clean and modern.

4) Community BondingUse of solar cookers can increase community bonding. Large community type solar

cookers help in more interaction between women while cooking at a common place and


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also while cooking feasts for major festivals, marriages etc. The data of how frequently

people get together during such community events can be recorded.

5) Environment ConsciousnessThe younger generation of village and school children will be more aware of theenvironmental benefits of using solar cookers if it is implemented in their schools or

homes. Hence they become more environmental conscious and more aware of pressing

issues like deforestation, global warming etc. The awareness level can be gauged by

interviewing these children. Also this will increase the awareness level in the current

generation about environmental issues.

6) Empowerment of CommunityEmpower the community with skills and the ability to act on the information and sustain

the changes, e.g, providing the solar cookers free of charge and the training to use it;

engaging village children in data collection; capacity building by training students from

rural colleges in collection of data for scientific evaluation.

7) Measuring Health Benefits%age reduction % age reduction in adults

Reduction in Ear Nose and

Throat diseasesReduction in chest related

diseases

Reduction in eye infections

Reduction in diarrhea


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APPENDIX D: Factors promoting the use of solar cooker

Social EconomicHealth and

Environmental

Institutional and

EducationalTechnological

Houses remain tidy

due to reduced casesof littered firewood/

charcoal and smoke.

Utensils remain

clean due to lack of

soot

Both men, women

and children can

now cook easily

Reduced cases of

stealing firewoodamong women and

using wood for

fencing

Families can cook

different foods with

several kits at the

same time

Reduced drudgery

Money saved from

buying other firewoodand charcoal is used in

attending to other

familys needs eg

buying food, books, etc

Time saved in cooking

is put to other

economic use eg

washing, farming,

doing homework etc.

hence being more

productive

The gadget is

affordable for a

average family

The project has both

direct and indirect

staff (Entrepreneurs

who engage in making

and selling of the

cookers and their

suppliers)and provides

them gainfulemployment

Families eat tasty

foods and nutritionalvalues which is good

for their health

Families eat hygienic

foods hence reduces

cases of diarrhoea

diseases

Families have clean

surroundings not

littered with firewood

and black charcoal

stains

There is reduced

cases of use of

firewood hence

reduced deforestation

Smoke related

ailments are reduced

amongst households

members

There is reduced

cases of fire accidents

Families can take

pasteurized water for

drinking leading to

reduced water borne

diseases

Families have

adopted the culture ofplanning for cooking

Promotes awareness

and learning of Science

Gives opportunity for

self studies/homework

among school children

Reduced absenteeism

and lateness in schools

Families and othergroups working closely

with our team have

mainstreamed

environmental

conservation into their

activities

Promote

environmental

education in

community

Keeps food

warm for long

Its portable and

easy to manage

Enables

families to

harness free

natural/

Renewable

energy

(transformation)

Appendix E: Detailed Projected Financials

Expenses every monthSalary

Employees No. of employees Wages/month Total (Rs.)

Contract Workers 2 2500 5000

Managers 2 8000 16000

Amount per month

Facility (Rent) 5000

Electricity bill 300

Cell phone bill 150

Stationery 50

Travel cost 410


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Page | 17

Expenses every month

Interest on loans 0

Miscellaneous expenses 1500

Transportation Costs 1200

Expenses per month 29610

Total recurring expenses Rs. 3,55,320

Expenses incurred over the year

Training Costs

Travel Cost of the 2 employees from Pune

to Dhule 2 members Rs. 168 336

Associated Food Cost 200

Number

Cost of

each

Raw Materials 4 20000 80000

24 20000 480000

75 1700 127500

Marketing

Distributing pamhplets

Designing Pamphlets 500

Printing 1000 pamphlets 500

Campaigns

Garnering support of opinion leader and

asking him/her to promote 2000

Free tesing of Solar Cookers

Apparatus for Solar Cooker 1 1700 1700

Depreciation 7800

Total one-time expense Rs. 7,00,536

Total expense in the year Rs. 10,55,856

Income for the first year

School- Prathamik Vidyalaya

No. of solar cookers sold 4

Price of each 25000

Revenue 100000

2 Schools - ISKCON

No. Of solar cookers sold 24

Price of each 25000

Revenue 600000

Village - Bhivri


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Page | 18

Income for the first year

No. of solar cookers sold 75

Price of each 2300

Revenue 172500

Total income for first year Rs. 8,72,500

One-time cost for the first year

Facility (plant) advance rent 50000

Plant furniture 10000

Computer 15000

Maintaining account under business name 1000

Licenses and Permits 1000

Setup, installation, and consulting fees 1000

Total one-time cost Rs. 78,000

Depreciation per year Rs. 7,800

(Depreciated over 10 yrs)

REVENUE PROJECTION

Year

Type of

Cooker

Units

to be

Sold

Revenue

per unit

Sold Revenue (Rs.)

Sales for 1st Year Parabolic 28 25000 700000

Sales for 1st Year Box type 75 2300 172500

Revenue for 1st year 872500

Total Profit / (Loss) -183356

Sales for 2nd Year Parabolic 60 25000 1500000

Sales for 2nd Year Box type 210 2300 483000

Revenue for 2nd year 1983000

Total Profit / (Loss) 24644 POSITIVE PROFITS

Sales for 3rd Year Parabolic 72 25000 1800000

Sales for 3rd Year Box type 400 2300 920000

Revenue for 3rd year 2720000

Total Profit / (Loss) 162584 BREAK EVEN


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Page | 19

EXPENSE PROJECTION

Year Type of Cooker

Units to

be Sold

Variable Cost

per unit Sold Total Costs (Rs.)

Variable Costs for year 1 Parabolic 28 20000 560000

Variable Costs for year 1 Box type 75 1700 127500

Fixed Costs for Year 1 368356

Total Costs for Year 1 Rs. 10,55,856



Fixed Costs for Year 2 401356Total Costs for Year 2 Rs. 19,58,356



Fixed Costs for Year 3 437416

Total Costs for Year 3 Rs. 25,57,416

MANUFACURING CAPACITY ( WITH 2 WORKERS)

Type of cooker

Time required to build one

cooker using 2 workers

Capacity /

Month (Nos)

Capacity / Year

(Nos)

Parabolic 4 6 72

Box type 0.5 50 600


23/23

Page | 20

APPENDIX F: THE SOMAIYA TEAM-MEMBERS PROFILES

1. Guruprasad Padmanabhan

Guru is a 2nd year MBA-Marketing student at K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and

Research (SIMSR). He has done his Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. Guru worked

with ABB Ltd (a power and automation MNC) for 3 years in various roles like Design, ProjectManagement, Sales, and Estimation mostly in various infrastructure projects.

2. Swapna Mukherjee

Swapna is a 2nd year MBA-Finance student at SIMSR. After completing her Bachelors in Science

(BSc) from St. Anns College for Women, Hyderabad she worked for 3 yrs in Oracle, India as an

Associate Application Engineer. She wants to pursue a career in Microfinance in the long term.

Among her projects, she heads the Financial Literacy team of the Somaiya Social Cell,

undertaking a project in Financial Risk Management with Equinox Financial Services. She also

has an experience in conducting a market survey in the slums of Mumbai.

3. Gautam Jaju

Gautam is a 2nd year MBA-Marketing student at SIMSR. He has a Bachelors degree in Mechanical

Engineering and a brief experience of 6 months in Bharat Forge Ltd in Production Control. His

work involved the streamlining of the manufacturing process using MOST (Maynards Operating

Sequencing Techniques).

4. Ashwath Bereke

Ashwath is a 2nd year MBA-Marketing student at SIMSR. He belongs to Bangalore and passed out

of Engineering in 2006. He has a work experience of 10 months in Perot Systems before joining

Oracle, India where he worked for another 26 months as an Applications Engineer. He workedon Data Modeling Group (DMG), Oracle Siebel CRM. He has also been involved working with

many NGOs like School Kit Drive, Sponsor a child, etc. Now he is an active member of Somaiya

Social Cell. He is also an avid trekker and a Toastmaster.

5. Jaya Longani

Jaya is a 2nd year MBA-Finance student at SIMSR. She has done her Bachelors in Chemistry from

St. Stephens College, New Delhi. Later on she worked in a small health care and beauty business.

She was a part of social service league of her college that helped in the blind reading campaign.

She was also involved in a program of teaching underprivileged kids of the locality around

college and from children belonging to lower income groups.

APPENDIX G: REFERENCES

http://www.middaymeal.com/

http://www.iskconmumbai.com/Activities/MiddayMeal/tabid/180/Default.aspx

http://www.princeindia.org/

http://www.solarcooking.org/

http://www.vinimaytrust.org/
http://www.middaymeal.com/http://www.middaymeal.com/http://www.iskconmumbai.com/Activities/MiddayMeal/tabid/180/Default.aspxhttp://www.iskconmumbai.com/Activities/MiddayMeal/tabid/180/Default.aspxhttp://www.princeindia.org/http://www.princeindia.org/http://www.solarcooking.org/http://www.solarcooking.org/http://www.vinimaytrust.org/http://www.vinimaytrust.org/http://www.vinimaytrust.org/http://www.solarcooking.org/http://www.princeindia.org/http://www.iskconmumbai.com/Activities/MiddayMeal/tabid/180/Default.aspxhttp://www.middaymeal.com/

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