Salinee (Tavaranan) Hurley

Updated September 2025

Salinee (Tavaranan) Hurley is an engineer and a social entrepreneur. After graduating with a Master’s degree in solar energy engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2005, she returned to Thailand to lead the Border Green Energy Team (BGET) as the Director. BGET provides renewable energy technology to underprivileged communities along the Thailand-Burma border. 

In 2013, she founded SunSawang, a social enterprise that delivers solar-powered products and services to rural Thailand. Salinee stays active, playing soccer and practicing yoga. She lives with her family at their country home, which she made from mud bricks. She believes that living simply from natural resources is the way we should all move toward.

Empowering people with solar energy

Along the Thai-Burmese border, where access to reliable electricity is scarce, SunSawang is lighting the way. Its business model is based on introducing a new — and desperately needed — product and service into multiple isolated regions in a sustainable manner that directly benefits marginalized and impoverished rural populations.

The business provides solar lanterns, home systems and mini-grids to rural villages while also empowering local communities; they hire and train village technicians and salespeople to deliver the solar products and after-sales services. Villagers repay the cost of the equipment over one to three years in affordable installments, supporting local economies.

By employing and training local technicians to install, maintain, and repair solar electric systems, SunSawang provides employment, strengthens local capacities and improves communities’ living conditions. Its work extends to internally displaced communities in Myanmar, partnering with ethnic healthcare and education providers to manage medical clinics and schools in these areas. 

Engaging communities 

Before beginning a project, SunSawang carries out preliminary surveys to understand the needs of the local communities and build a partnership with village leaders. The team has cultivated deep-rooted relationships with key stakeholders, including local governments, community leaders, forestry department officials and other organizations working in the same target areas. SunSawang also collaborates with District Wildlife Sanctuaries to implement its projects within national parks.

Creating value

SunSawang creates value in multiple ways. Providing reliable and affordable solar energy products and services increases the productive use of solar systems and improves living conditions. At the same time, training local village technicians boosts technical knowledge and local employment and creates a greater sense of community, and social impact assessments and surveys ensure customer satisfaction and community well-being.