Launched 6 December 2011, the product will begin trials in several countries in the coming weeks and is expected to be commercially available in the first half of 2012, before subsequently being rolled out in other African countries.
The Home Power Station consists of four LED (light emitting diode) lights, the controller, a battery, a solar panel, cabling and a cellphone charger. It has been designed to light up to four rooms of nine square meters each for a period of up to five hours a day, using only solar power. It automatically switches off lights when daylight is detected, saving energy supply and the customer's credit. The system is easy to install and comes with a comprehensive instruction manual. The photovoltaic solar panel replenishes one day's usage in half a day's sunshine.
Setting it apart from alternatives currently available on the market, the Home Power Station will be available at a small upfront cost, with customers paying for the electricity generated as they use it. Econet Solar will be working closely with its parent company, Econet Wireless, to make it available to its millions of cellphone customers in Africa.
It is described as the first solar power system that is paid for via prepaid cellphones, using its unique and fully patented power control module linking the Home Power Station to the cellphone network.
As 96% of mobile subscriptions in Africa are on the prepaid/pay as you go basis, the mechanism is familiar and removes the requirement for high upfront costs, which have until now prevented millions of people across Africa benefiting from solar powered lighting systems in their home.
The product contains a SIM card - the same as those used in cellphone handsets - which enables the device to communicate with the cellular network and in turn makes it possible for the customer to prepay for energy usage, in the same way that they currently pay for airtime on their cellphone.
It is company's intention that future generations of the product will serve homes of all sizes, as the business model is fully scalable. It will also seek to establish licensing agreements with other mobile network operators in developing countries to make the product available to their respective customer bases.
Commenting on the launch, Strive Masiyiwa, founder and executive chair of Econet Wireless said, "More than five hundred million people in Africa are living in areas where there is no access to a reliable source of power. If we are to improve their lives and prospects, it is imperative that we find practical and sustainable solutions to meet their needs. Whilst there are already well-intentioned solar powered lighting systems on the market, the reality is that they are just too expensive for people to afford. We are launching this product to change all that.
"It uses proven technology, in a revolutionary way, in order to make power available on a prepaid basis. Forecasters expect that Africa will have 735 million cellphone users by the end of next year and we will be looking to leverage the proven ability of telecoms companies to rollout this product quickly. People who are today living without access to reliable and sustainable power for lighting will have it on a pre-paid basis from next year.
"We believe it can have a transformational social impact. It will reduce the need for people to use kerosene indoors and ensure that homes and small business can be lit after dark. That means children can continue reading into the evening and businesses can stay open longer, thus playing a significant part in improving the standard of living for millions of people," he concludes.
The system is designed to replace existing candle and kerosene (paraffin) lighting options, which are dangerous, non-environmentally friendly, expensive and a health risk. Studies have shown that enhanced lighting conditions correlate directly to improved learning. With reliable and affordable lighting, children can read after dark and complete homework in the evening at home.
Every year, kerosene lanterns and candles cause thousands of lethal fires. In South Africa, it is estimated that over 46 000 dwellings each year are burned to the ground because of fires.
Whilst kerosene lamps provide only 1% of global lighting, they are responsible for 20% of lighting related CO2 emissions and consume 3% of the world's oil supply.
Kerosene lamps emit air pollutants such as black carbon, which are proven to lead to asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, heart disease and lung cancer. The World Health Organization documents that more deaths that are premature were due to indoor air pollution in 2003 alone, than malaria and HIV/AIDS combined.
