Off-grid solar energy steps up efforts towards sustainable energy globally

The 2020 Global Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report estimates that the off-grid solar sector currently provides lighting and other energy services to 420 million people globally, representing about 5.7% of the entire global population. This notably, is a tremendous stride in the past decade that has helped developing countries reach their energy access goals, accelerating the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7.

The industry collectively sold over 180 million products, serving the 420 M customers globally increasing investment in the sector and demonstrating profitability. They have demonstrated that it is important to build a sustainable, sound solar financing business. Patrick Walsh, CEO and Co-Founder Greenlight Planet predicts, off-grid solar technologies could DISRUPT the way a billion people access energy.

Greenlight Planet, a company that designs, distributes and finances solar home solutions under the brand name ‘Sun King’, has been consistently profitable for the last 16 quarters, creating about 5500 jobs across areas of sub-Saharan Africa to the youth and women, suffering from high levels of unemployment. In Kenya alone, it boasts of a nearly 50% employee count as being women.

Using photovoltaics (PV), which is a semiconductor technology changing light into electricity, the company has innovated in product technology as well with new Lithium-NMC batteries, adopted from electric-vehicle manufacturers that offer nearly double the energy density of the previous lanterns’ batteries, lowest carbon emission solar televisions and also leverages PAYG – pay as you go (also known as PAYGo) – that makes it easier for consumers to own the products by paying affordably.

“Owning solar products proved an expensive affair for the low-income households so we decided to innovate on the mode of payment,” he says adding; “Pay as you go allows consumers to spend small amounts of cash every day and own the products over time.”

The PAYGo business model as used to finance solar products is rapidly increasing its market share, reaching 24 percent of unit sales in H1 2019 from 20 percent in H1 2018. PAYGo boosts affordability, unlocking larger PnP systems that provide higher levels of energy service in addition to a wide variety of high-value, non-energy services that can be offered over PAYGo platforms.

West Africa has seen the fastest increase in PAYGo unit sales in the last year, reaching 47 percent of all unit sales and 92 percent of market value in that market in H1 2019. Within the affiliate market, PAYGo comprises 76 percent of SHS unit sales and 14 percent of unit sales.

Patrick avers that solar as a clean and alternative energy source serves the communities that do not have or have intermittent access to energy and usually depend on inefficient sources of energy like fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are those formed by natural processes, such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms, containing energy originating in ancient photosynthesis. They include coal, natural gas and Orimulsion.

During the recent Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo 2020 held at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel that was officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta, global industry peers unanimously agreed to ridding the use of fossil fuels by 2030 by imparting the skills and better access to clean and reliable energy sources.

To actualize this vision, Greenlight Planet as an industry player pledges to manufacture and deliver high-quality and durable solar products- over a decade – and to integrate flexible payment methods with mobile money systems across sub-Saharan Africa.