International Solar Innovation Council
Innovating Solar Solutions for Billions
ABOUT InSIC
The International Solar Innovation Council (InSIC) is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to pioneering solar solutions for the world’s most underserved communities. Founded in Helsinki in July 2017, InSIC bridges the gap between high-level technical innovation and practical, life-changing energy access. The council was established following the 2015 visit of Prof. Santipada GonChaudhury to Finland. A renowned solar pioneer and the visionary behind India's National Solar Mission, Prof. GonChaudhury’s collaboration with Finnish environmental associations and the Technical University of Lappeenranta led to the creation of the Micro Solar Dome (Surya Jyoti). Inspired by Finnish architectural lighting and advanced optics, this innovation provides high-quality, sustainable light to off-grid households for an investment of just 5 euros. To systematize the exchange of ideas between Indian and European solar energy scientists and activists professor Gonchaudhuri proposed the establishment of a new international association, International Solar Innovation Council or InSIC which is currently based in Helsinki, Finland. InSIC is directed by a board that currently has four European (Pekka Järvilehto, Markku Tahkokorpi, Elina Mähönen and Risto Isomäki) and two Indian (Santipada Gonchaudhuri and Richik GhoshThakur) members. The board is elected by the annual general meeting. Only individual members, who are elected by the board or by the AGM, have a voting right in the AGM. However, InSIC also has a category for individuals or organizations who wish to contribute as a supportive member. Most of InSIC’s fund has arrived from supportive membership fees and from consultancies, which it has done for other organizations. This far approximately four fifths of InSIC’s funds have been used for its small grant program that is providing small grants to some carefully selected research and development projects, aiming at developing ground-breaking new solar technologies. The remaining funds have been used to finance InSIC’s rather small administrative costs as well as webinars and solar ambassador programme and other innitiatives. Mailing Address: C/o Markku Tahkokorpi, Kulolaakso 18 H, 02340 ESPOO, Finland. Email: info@solarinnovations.org Organizational ID number: 2888855-8, registered in Helsinki. Date of registration: 30.08.2017 Website: solarinnovations.org
OUR MISSION
Our Vision: "To be the primary catalyst for a carbon-neutral future where solar energy powers sustainable growth and social equity across Asia and Africa." Our goal is to accelerate the global transition to solar energy by bridging the gap between innovation, policy, and implementation across Asia and Africa. • Accelerate Transition: Drive the rapid adoption of solar technologies to replace traditional energy sources. • Foster Collaboration: Build an active network of activists, stakeholders, and entrepreneurs to encourage regional cooperation. • Bridge R&D Gaps: Identify research needs and connect local innovators with global testing and quality standards. • Knowledge Exchange: Enhance market transparency by sharing technical data, supplier access, and best practices. • Strategic Partnerships: Work alongside all kinds of development organizations in Asia, Africa and other continents to deliver solar solutions to underserved communities. Our Mission: Innovation for Equity, InSIC wants to act as a global catalyst for solar technologies that serve the two billion people currently neglected by mainstream commercial and governmental R&D. We focus on "Dual-Impact" technologies that: • Mitigate Climate Change: Dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions through renewable adoption. • Alleviate Poverty: Providing affordable energy tools that enhance education, safety, and economic productivity in off-grid regions. Our core Values: At InSIC, our operations are guided by a commitment to blending technical precision with global humanitarian needs. We believe that the transition to clean energy must be inclusive to be truly successful. • Radical Affordability: Developing high-quality solar solutions, that are accessible to those living on less than two euros a day. • Collaborative Innovation: Bridging the gap between academic excellence and grassroots requirements in the Global South. • Scalable Sustainability: Focusing on technologies that can be rapidly deployed to millions, ensuring a measurable impact on both CO2 reduction and poverty alleviation. • Ethical Advocacy: Championing the energy needs of the "invisible two billion" who are often overlooked by traditional commercial R&D.
ACTIVITIES
InSIC strives to undertake research activities on appropriate technological developments in the solar energy sector and to organize seminars, symposiums, workshops, trainings, webinars to enhance the knowledge base about clean energy mainly in Asian countries.
SMALL GRANT
InSIC invites applications from legal entities, especially small-scale industries, start-ups, research institutes, academic institutes and non-governmental organizations (NGO) for its small grants program for innovative solar energy demonstration projects. The aim of the grant is to develop ‘proof of concept’ projects demonstrating solar innovation.
Meet The Team
Chairperson | Board Member | Editorial team member of the newsletter | Grant evaluation committee member | Grant follow-up committee member
Vice-Chairperson | Board Member | Head of the Grant evaluation committee | Editorial team member of the newsletter
Vice-Chairperson | Board Member | Editorial team member of the newsletter | Grant evaluation committee member | Grant follow-up committee member
Treasurer | Board Member | Editorial team member of the newsletter | Grant evaluation committee member
Board Member | Chief editor of the newsletter | Grant follow-up committee member
Board Member | Editorial team member of the newsletter | Grant follow-up committee member
Consultant | Editorial team member of the newsletter | Grant follow-up committee member | Editor of Webpages
Become a member today, the membership fee is 20 Euro (minimum) and many distinguished personalities are already members of this organization.