Remember my interview with Stewart Craine, Director of Barefoot Power, discussing his goal of bringing energy to the poor? He chimes in today with an update:

Frank, I am pleased to be able to share some special news with you. The Barefoot Power team has just won 3 of the 4 product quality awards offered by Lighting Africa, an IFC / World Bank project.

PR_LA2010_awards_FINAL-3.pdf (application/pdf Object)

We even got 2nd prize in the 4th category. Against 22 competing suppliers including giants like Philips, this is wonderful recognition after 5.5 years of hard work, and my thanks to you all for getting us this far. Please find attached a press release, and below a link showing 4 of our team receiving the prizes last week in Nairobi.

Demand, as always, is still out-stripping supply, emptying our warehouses, and increasing quickly - we are doubling revenues every 4-6 months. Considerably additional working capital to make more lamps is very much required, and I hope some of you may be able to assist in this regard (email for further details). We are on track to deliver our promise from 5 years ago, that 1 million people will get lamps by 2010, and we will have created a profitable business model that serves the energy needs of the poor.

From here, we expect explosive growth to reach 5 million people or 1 million households by 2012-13, and continue to show strong leadership in the sector. I hope you can join us for the full ride! Apologies to any recipients who have received this news twice. Apologies also to many that I have not contacted recently - it has been a busy time!!!

Warm regards,
Stewart Craine
Director
www.barefootpower.com
Skype: barefootpower