Noted environmentalist and Barefoot College, Tilonia, Founder Director Bunker Roy has been conferred with the prestigious 2009 Robert Hill Award for his innovative barefoot approach to solar electrifying remote rural inaccessible villages all over the world. Roy is the first Indian to be recognised by the Global Solar Community at the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Hamburg. The award was conferred upon him at the conference on September 25 last, a Barefoot College spokesperson said.The barefoot teachers and engineers at Tilonia carry out this feat of imparting knowledge without using the written word. Instead, they use a combination of hands, sight and sounds and by identifying parts by the colour. The grandmothers trained in Tilonia now know how to fabricate charge controllers, invertors and solar lanterns and can carry out all major and minor repairs instantly. With this, the first technically and financially self-sufficient solar electrified villages have been set up in India, Bhutan, Africa and Afghanistan. The award has been instituted in memory of Professor Robert Hill (1937-99) who worked on many aspects of photovoltaics, including technical and policy issues. One of his most abiding passions was the appropriate use of photovoltaics to improve the quality of life, especially where access to electricity could transform prospects for health, comfort and prosperity.
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