Until eight months ago, Vinod Waghmare, 24, was a farmer in his native Mangaon village in Raigad, a district 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) outside of Mumbai. Back then, he generated an income of US$140 a month growing rice and lentils. Today, the newly married Waghmare supplements his earnings by doubling up as a rural sales representative for companies like Intelizon Energy, a Hyderabad-based maker of solar energy products. As a designated "Zon" adviser, he sells the company's solar lanterns and home lighting systems to households in five nearby districts that primarily use kerosene lamps, candles and biomass (such as plant material and animal waste for burning) during power outages that can last up to 10 hours a day.
As one of the first users of Intelizon's solar devices -- called ZonLight and ZonHome -- the fast-talking Waghmare is a quintessential marketer. He claims he now saves about US$3 a month since he no longer burns kerosene lamps during power cuts, or "load shedding" as it is known locally. That makes him well positioned, he says, to convince potential customers about the efficacy of the lights, which range from US$17 to light areas between five square feet and 100 square feet to US$149 for 400-square-foot homes. Having already sold 30 lanterns and five home systems, his new business adds US$45 a month to the family's total income. Enthusiastic about his changing fortunes, Waghmare is now grooming two friends to become sales representatives like him. "The solar lights have made me a businessman," he says.
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