ROOFS adorned with solar panels are a sign of a well-off household in the western world, where installation fees can often run to five figures. Now a cellphone-based system could bring cheap solar power to sun-drenched regions of Kenya and other African countries.
So says Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO of solar energy firm Eight19, based in Cambridge, UK. The company has developed a pay-as-you-go solar power system called IndiGo, which consists of a low-cost, flexible plastic, 2.5-watt solar panel that charges a battery. This can be connected to a USB phone charger or an LED lamp that provides around 5 hours of light from one day鈥檚 charge.
It costs $1 a week to run, though the unit itself must be leased for an initial $10 fee. Users add credit by buying a scratchcard that they validate by sending a text message from their phone.
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IndiGo is being trialled in Kenya and will be tested in other countries in the next few months. Eight19 hopes the device will go on sale early next year. The company also plans to offer higher-power systems as demand for solar energy increases, such as a 50 W system that could power a small TV.
Many rural areas of countries such as Kenya are not connected to the grid, so people light their homes using kerosene lamps. As well as being relatively expensive, these create smoke pollution and carbon emissions. Bransfield-Garth says the high cost of fuel locks people into a cycle of poverty. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e paying disproportionately large amounts for their energy,鈥� he says 鈥� typically 拢2 or $3 a week.
IndiGo鈥檚 model means the expensive part of solar power 鈥� buying the equipment 鈥� is spread out, making it a more viable option for people in developing countries. And it is much cheaper than upgrading ageing electricity infrastructure. The system only provides 2.5 W, which is not much use for western homes stuffed with energy-hungry gadgets but fine for lighting and charging cellphones.
IndiGo won鈥檛 just provide economic benefits 鈥� it will also make access to power more convenient. People in rural Kenya currently pay around $0.20 to charge their phone, and many also have to travel to a charger. One man in the trial used to make a 2-hour round-trip each week and wait another 2 hours to actually charge his phone. He can now do it at home.
鈥淥ne man used to make a 2-hour round trip to charge his phone. He can now do it at home鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt it鈥檚 a great development,鈥� says Sabah Abdullah at the University of Bath, UK, who researches sustainable energy development in developing countries.
But she warns that the system could be hard for people with low literacy levels to use and that relying on a mobile phone for payment could marginalise those who can鈥檛 afford such devices. 鈥淭hese are the people who really need a step up in terms of electrification.鈥�
