TERI and Yale University organized ‘The US-India Energy Partnership Summit’ on 1 October 2009 at the Hyatt Regency, Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA. The high-level event aimed at contributing to the ongoing high-level dialogue between the two countries in key areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate change, and technological innovation. The summit supported efforts to promote enabling policies for the rapid development and deployment of green technologies in both countries.

More than 250 thought leaders from government, industry, academia, and civil society discussed opportunities for US-India partnerships to promote clean energy and combat climate change. The summit culminated with a gala reception and dinner hosted by Dr R K Pachauri to support TERI’s LaBL (Lighting a Billion Lives) campaign. One table at a time (each representing a village in India), the entire room was beautifully lit up with LED-based solar lanterns developed by MIC Electronics of India in partnership with TERI for LaBL.

Key dignitaries at the dinner who endorsed LaBL included Al Gore, former Vice President and Nobel laureate; John Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Steve Israel, Member of the House of Representatives; Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh; and Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy, India. Meera Shankar, India’s Ambassador to the US was also present on the occasion to support the campaign.

Dr Pachauri described LaBL as a unique initiative that combines the benefits of the latest technology and institutional innovation for providing clean and sustainable lighting for a billion poor people who, in the normal course, will never get electricity or be able to light a single bulb in their homes. He urged the audience to support the campaign by pledging a lantern for a family or for an entire village and take TERI closer to lighting a billion lives. With backing from generous donors like Johnson Controls; Corning Incorporated; Philips; Natural Resources Defense Council; Dow Chemical Company and many individuals, the summit raised support for lighting 14 villages in India.