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Pico-solar lights: Exposure, uptake and impact

Pico-solar lights: Exposure, uptake and impact. Elly White, M&E Coordinator. SolarAid and SunnyMoney. SunnyMoney sells lights in rural Africa builds a market. SolarAid global partnerships fundraising policy, research and advocacy.

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Pico-solar lights: Exposure, uptake and impact

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  1. Pico-solar lights: Exposure, uptake and impact Elly White, M&E Coordinator

  2. SolarAid and SunnyMoney SunnyMoney • sells lights in rural Africa • builds a market SolarAid • global partnerships • fundraising • policy, research and advocacy Goal: to eradicate the kerosene lantern from Africa by 2020.

  3. The model

  4. Research at SolarAid • Evidencing the impact of solar lights • Understanding our customers and the market • Improving our model

  5. The impact • Average annual savings per household of US$70 (10% household income) • Savings diverted to food, education and livelihoods • Children study for an extra hour each night • 45% of customers report improved health • Households can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 300kg per year

  6. One million lights sold An estimated impact of: • 6.2 million people benefitting from safe, clean light • 5.6 million of those living below the poverty line • US$205 million saved by families over the lifetime of the light • 1.2 billion extra study hours for children • 3.4 million people noticing better health • 510,000 tonnes of averted CO₂

  7. Our customers • 90% of customers live below the poverty line • They spend about 15% of their income on lighting • Majority of households own at least one mobile phone • 60% of customers used kerosene as main source of lighting • They like to talk! – 90% recommended solar lights to a friend

  8. The model • Three key challenges to distribution: 1. Affordability 2. Availability 3. Awareness and trust

  9. Light Libraries • A ‘library’ or ‘luminotheque’ of solar lights donated to schools • Users pay a small rental fee • Objective to increase exposure to and demand for solar lights • Strongly monitored so that the effect on uptake could be evaluated

  10. Results • Control schools: uptake of 15% of school population • Light Library schools: uptake of 35% • 70% of customers at Light Library schools said the Library affected their decision to purchase • More people invested in a $30 mid-entry level light than the $10 basic-entry level light. • Exposure to solar lights increased uptake from low-income risk-averse families.

  11. Research matters Market research combined with social impact evaluation enables us to learn how best to reach more people with off-grid solutions and understand the multi-dimensional benefits of energy access. • Learning how program delivery can become more efficient. • Evidencing educational impact to Ministries of Education. • Proving economic & environmental advantage. • Understanding purchasing decisions and how to accelerate demand for new energy technologies.

  12. Elly White M&E Coordinator elly.white@solar-aid.org SolarAid www.solar-aid.org

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