Bindu B

Indian environmental engineer leading renewable energy adoption in rural communities

Bindu B (full name: Bindu Balagangadharan) is an Indian environmental engineer and founder of Surya Energy Initiatives, a nonprofit transforming rural India through solar microgrids. Her work has electrified over 1,200 villages since 2012, benefiting 2 million people lacking grid access. Bindu's innovative pay-as-you-go solar systems reduce costs by 70% compared to traditional solutions, using blockchain-based payment platforms.

Growing up in a Kerala village without reliable electricity, Bindu dedicated her engineering career to energy access. Her 2020 research paper in Energy Policy introduced the 'Community Solar Pool' model where households share solar infrastructure. This approach won her the Ashden Award in 2018 and inspired similar programs in Kenya and Bangladesh.

Bindu's recent project with UNESCO uses AI-driven weather prediction to optimize solar storage in monsoon-prone regions. Her advocacy led to India's 2022 Rural Electrification Policy incorporating decentralized energy models. She currently advises the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on gender-inclusive energy policies. Bindu's TED Talk "Powering Rural India with Solar Microgrids" has been translated into 15 languages.