Invention Is Easy, Deployment Is More Difficult

By Dan Schnitzer | TED, EarthSpark International | April 4, 2012

Dan Schnitzer of EarthSpark International works to deliver clean energy solutions such as solar LED lamps to developing countries such as Haiti. Invention is the easy part, he says. The trick lies in pairing physical access with financial access, since many of these products have higher upfront costs. Working with "last-mile" retailers to bundle sales with microfinance can help deploy sustainable technologies that pay for themselves in a few short months due to lower operating costs.