Mangalam Murugesan

Indian social entrepreneur who brought solar energy to 100,000 rural households through community micro-grids

Mangalam Murugesan (b. 1983) is a visionary engineer from Tamil Nadu, India, founder of Sunlight Energy Foundation. Starting in 2014, she developed the Community Solar Microgrid model that connects 50-100 households through decentralized solar systems, reducing costs by 40% compared to traditional grid extensions. By 2019, her initiative had electrified over 100 villages, providing sustainable energy access to 50,000+ people.

Murugesan's innovation lies in her Solar Savings Clubs, where villagers contribute small monthly amounts to own and maintain the systems. This approach created 1,200 local technician jobs by 2018. Her partnership with Ashden Awards expanded the model to Nepal and Bangladesh through the 2017 South Asia Solar Collective.

In 2019, she launched EnergyPulse, an AI-driven app monitoring solar panel efficiency and predicting maintenance needs. This technology increased system uptime by 89%, earning her the Global Clean Energy Leadership Prize from MIT.

Murugesan's work has been documented in National Geographic's 2018 series Light of the Villages and inspired India's 2020 National Solar Policy, which now mandates community-owned systems in rural electrification projects.