The vast majority of the rural population in the de veloping countries is out of reach of electricity and hence has to depend on the tradi tional fuels to fulfil the daily energy needs. Providing grid electricity to the rural areas of ma ny developing countries is a very difficult task due to the geographical complexity and lack of fina ncial resources. The paper explains the use of different renewable energy sources in combination w ith efficient lighting technology as a realistic option to provide clean lighting services to develo ping countries. The application of Light Emitting Diodes and renewable energy sources has be en a sustainable solution to the basic lighting needs of rural people. The paper also pres ents a comparison of costs between available renewable energy technologies
