M-KOPA Solar Managing Director and Co-Founder Jesse Moore says Kenya is emerging as a hotspot for off-grid solar power/FILE
This is a 150 percent rise from the 100,000 customers recorded in September 2014.
M-KOPA Solar Managing Director and Co-Founder Jesse Moore says Kenya is emerging as a hotspot for off-grid solar power.
Moore says according to a 2014 study by M-KOPA Solar and InterMedia, 14 percent of the surveyed population use solar as their primary lighting and charging source.
“With hundreds of great customers coming on board every day, we are helping East Africa leapfrog over the grid to enjoy cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable solar power,” Moore said.
The battery-powered 8W home system has three lights, a phone-charging facility and a chargeable radio.
The savings generated by using off grid solar over kerosene are said to be substantial for individual households and the broader East African economy.
Alex Nduati, a resident of Athi River became the plan’s 250,000th customer when he purchased an M-KOPA III solar home system.
“I am so excited to take home a solar system that will give me much more value than kerosene, and with M-KOPA’s daily payment plan it is affordable for me. I purchased this system for my rural home where there is no access to electricity,” Nduati said.
Each M-KOPA Solar home is calculated to save $750, compared to using kerosene over a four-year period.
This means that the combined projected savings by the 250,000 households using M-KOPA Solar is $187 million.
Nairobi-headquartered, M-KOPA Solar now has a network of over 1,500 direct sales agents and 100 customer service centres across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
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