Rahul Varshney

Indian clean energy advocate driving solar power adoption in rural India through community-based models

Rahul Varshney founded Aarohi Energy in 2018 with a mission to bring solar power to India's off-grid villages. His innovative 'Solar Cooperative' model allows rural communities to collectively own and manage solar microgrids. By 2023, Aarohi had established 150 cooperatives serving 250,000 households in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, reducing kerosene usage by 70% in those areas.

Varshney's 2021 initiative with Oxfam India created the first solar-powered irrigation system for women farmers, featured in National Geographic's 2022 climate solutions series. His 2024 book "Lighting the Last Mile" (published by Penguin Random House) details his community-centered approach to energy access.

Aarohi's 2023 partnership with UNDP expanded services to Bangladesh and Nepal, creating a regional solar alliance. Varshney was honored as an Ashoka Fellow in 2020 and featured in BBC's "100 Women in 2022" campaign. His TEDx talk "Empowering Villages, One Solar Panel at a Time" has over 2 million views on TED.