Hot and arid countries are all too frequently beset with the many tragedies arising from poverty. A key aspect relating to poverty is the lack of low-cost sources of energy, other than that of locally scavenged organic materials such as wood. However, for the most part, even when they have installed such energy sources as power stations, lack of a complete national energy distribution system severely restricts efforts to escape the poverty trap. PV systems have been playing a key role in overcoming these drawbacks; none more so than in the countries of the Indian subcontinent.