On May 12, winners were named for the inaugural Global LEAP Outstanding Off-Grid Appliance Awards competition, a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative to identify and promote the world’s best, most energy-efficient off-grid color televisions and LED room lighting appliances.

Globally, a total of 1.2 billion people live without adequate access to electricity, and another billion have less than four hours of reliable electricity each day. The vast majority of these off-grid communities are in developing Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and they are frequently among the world’s poorest.

Energy-efficient, high-quality off-grid appliances offer improved service but need smaller energy systems to run, reducing the necessary investment in off-grid energy systems and making the most of the limited electricity available to off-grid households and businesses.

“Quality assured, super-efficient low-voltage appliances build consumer trust and reduce costs for energy-poor populations throughout the developing world,” said the U.S. Department of Energy’s Caroline McGregor, the Global LEAP initiative lead. “They’re essential to creating and sustaining demand for technologies like off-grid solar. We congratulate the winners of the Global LEAP Awards, which are among the very best performing, most affordable off-grid appliances in the world.”

Winners: Global LEAP Awards Outstanding Off-Grid Televisions Competition

• Commercially Available–Small: Sola SO16M 15.6” LED TV by Solar Home Appliances, Inc.
• Commercially Available–Medium: Sola SO19M 19” LED TV by Solar Home Appliances, Inc.
• Commercially Available–Large: Samsung UA23H4060AR 23” LED TV by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Emerging Technology–Small: DC TV 15.6″ 12V by fosera GmbH & Co.KG aA
• Emerging Technology–Large: Samsung UA32**** 32” Prototype LED TV by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Winners: Global LEAP Awards Outstanding Off-Grid LED Room Lighting Appliance Competition

• LED Bulbs: LED-DC12V-5W by Super Star Group, Bangladesh
• LED Ambient Indoor Room Lighting Fixtures: LED DC Tube Light by Solarland
• LED Higher-Output Ambient Indoor Room Lighting Fixtures: T5 Tube LED-DC-12V-5W by Super Star Group, Bangladesh

See more products details in the Global LEAP Awards Outstanding Off-Grid Appliances Buyer Guide.

Read more about the Global LEAP Awards Outstanding Off-Grid Appliance Competition.

The Global LEAP Awards is an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership, and is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the ClimateWorks Foundation.