By Emily Haves, Ashden Research Programme Coordinator

A big challenge for social entrepreneurs is convincing poor people to buy their life-enhancing products. Last week I went to a really interesting conference that got to the bottom of the issue.

It seems only a few short months ago that I was recapping the progress of Ashden winners in 2010, but somehow we’ve reached the end of another year! During 2011, Ashden winners have been just as successful. They’ve reached major milestones and continued to take their work in new directions as they promote sustainable energy.

For the seventh in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Jo Walton, head of communications, picks her trip to India and seeing the installation of a biogas plant at SKG Sangha.

For me it was visiting India and seeing some of our winners' work in action. After five years at the Ashden Awards, to actually see this work on the ground really making a difference, was incredibly inspiring.

It was wonderful to be there when they were the building a biogas plant at SKG Sangha! But I also saw SELCO's solar home systems lighting up people's homes and TIDE's solar greenhouses providing fresh food and an income for women and children. The trip was a great privilege.

See also:
Simon picks the publication of Power to Our Neigbourhoods
Carla picks the moment AIDFI won BBC World Challenge
Jane picks the moment the finalists arrived in London

The travel writer Frank Bures visits Africa and reports on why technology is "Africa's latest, greatest poverty fighter". Bures' article considers the work of two Ashden Award winners: D.light Design and SELCO. Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, of D.light Design tells him,

"Providing bright light really impacts so many facets of people's lives. It essentially extends their day. It allows them to work for longer hours and more productively. It lets children study longer."

Harish Hande of SELCO says:

"In the traditional, top-down methodology, it's a one-sided supply chain, where the product goes down to the poor. We go from the opposite side. We look at what the need is, then tailor the product to the need."