Clementine Chambon

Dr. Clementine Chambon serves as Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Oorja Development Solutions, while conducting research at Imperial College London on renewable energy technologies for rural electrification. After earning her MEng in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University and PhD in lignocellulosic biofuels from Imperial College London, she has established herself as a leading innovator in sustainable energy solutions. Through Oorja, founded in 2015 with Amit Saraogi, she has pioneered a revolutionary pay-per-use model that makes solar technology accessible to marginal farmers in rural India. Her company has installed 202 projects, including 185 solar pumps and 17 mills across 5 districts, impacting over 33,400 smallholder farmers and creating 92 last-mile jobs. The initiative has helped farmers reduce their diesel dependency, with 67% of customers completely switching to solar power, while saving 3,108 tons of CO2 emissions. Her achievements have earned her recognition as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur and MIT Tech Review Social Innovator of the Year Europe. Through Oorja's innovative approach, which includes solar irrigation, milling, and cooling services, she aims to reach 10 million farmers by 2030, potentially addressing 250 million tons of CO2 emissions annually if scaled across India's 30 million diesel-dependent farmers.