Files Shared

Off-Grid Electric Has Solarized 100,000 African Households We often report on enormous new solar power installations, facilities that generate megawatts of power. But solar can also bring important benefits to people even if it is just a few watts at a time. When someone signs up for a system, there is a $6 fee to install solar panels on the roof and a meter to monitor energy usage. The panels power LED lights, a radio, and a phone charger. Then customers pay about $6 a month to access the power they need. That’s what they usually pay for kerosene for their lanterns. Those lanterns smell awful and contribute to respiratory illness when used indoors. For many of Off-Grid’s clients, their No. 1 wish is for electricity to run a phone charger, so a USB cellphone charger is included in the entry-level package. “Phone charging is a crucial application,” Helgesen says. “People can get by without lights, but not being able to charge your phone — there’s no substitute for that.” Off-Grid customers pay for power as they use it, relying on mobile payment apps like M-Pesa. “Just like prepaid mobile throughout Africa and India, our customers pay us daily for the use of their solar system,” says Helgesen. Microgrids and microbusiness. Exactly what most of the African continent needs. See http://ift.tt/29fav0t