By Sarah Butler-Sloss, Ashden Founder Director

While the rising urban middle classes in India’s big cities increasingly take their mod cons for granted, some 400 million Indians have never used electric light bulbs in their homes – let alone had the power to charge their mobile phones, listen to the radio or watch TV.

By Emily Haves, Ashden Research Programme Coordinator

Energy access is an increasingly hot topic in development circles, but what does it actually mean? We talk about it as if it’s a binary state – either you have it, or you don’t – but is this helpful? And how much is enough?

By Julia Hawkins, Ashden PR and Digital Media Manager

The collapse of three main power grids in India earlier this week created traffic chaos, trapped miners underground, left bodies half-cremated, stymied commercial activity and forced those normally reliant on air-conditioning to swelter in 40°+ heat.

The oficial Rio+20 website describes it as "an historic opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all." Ban Ki-moon said on Friday it's "too big to fail." Ashden Patron HRH The Prince of Wales today appealed to policymakers in Rio to "act betfore&nbs