![\"screen-shot-2016-11-17-at-4-52-45-pm\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Screen-Shot-2016-11-17-at-4.52.45-PM-300x181.png\")
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Energy poverty is a development challenge that traditional, centralized approaches have often failed to provide fast, reliable solutions [4].\u00a0 Globally, there are 1.1 billion people without access to electricity, including 589 million in SSA [5].\u00a0 There is a wide use of dangerous and inefficient alternatives, such as kerosene lamps, diesel generators, and dry-cell batteries, in order to light their homes and operate appliances.\u00a0 Trying to solve this problem by building centralized electric grid system will be prohibitively expensive: up to $2,300 per rural household in SSA [6].<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There has been an emergence of companies that are taking advantage of wide mobile adoption to alleviate energy poverty by electrifying the most rural regions of Africa.\u00a0 Off Grid Electric<\/strong>, a micro-solar leasing platform targeted toward residents of Africa, has pioneered a business model that allows consumers with no formal credit to use their existing spending on kerosene to finance solar. \u00a0Through a mobile-payment platform, they allow customers to purchase energy in small amounts and they choose the service level that best suits their household\u2019s needs. \u00a0For example, the basic service costs about $6 to set up and about $6 per month, less than what most people pay for kerosene. \u00a0It comes with solar panel, LED lights, a radio, and a USB charger. \u00a0Unlike kerosene, which emits harmful particles and offers poor light, the electricity from solar provides better lighting when coupled with LEDs [7].\u00a0 The company is installing their system in homes of over 50,000 people per month and is on track to light a million homes in Africa over the next few years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
More importantly, this pay-as-you-go (PAYG) energy model provides an opportunity for customers to sign up for their first formal financial service and gives them a tangible reason for regular use.\u00a0 Previously, there was no value or relevance of mobile money to their lives but companies like Off Grid Electric whose business models necessitate digital transactions has completely broken the pattern of this inactivity.\u00a0 As a result, PAYG solar companies are now among the largest bill-pay recipients on mobile money platforms in Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana [8].<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Once the firm has established the ongoing financing relationships with its customers, many opportunities lie ahead. There is effectively no limit on the products and services that can be offered through the distribution channel, with existing customers being less costly to serve, and therefore more profitable [9]. \u00a0Off Grid Electric has already expanded its offerings to provide financing for appliances like radios and TVs.\u00a0 Furthermore, payment history collected through their software can help generate a credit profile for customers, which can help unlock access to other financial services as well.\u00a0 In SSA, only 34% of the population have a financial account.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, Off Grid Electric faces many obstacles to continue to pursue growth at its current rate.\u00a0 The greatest challenge is raising working capital needed to finance their operation.\u00a0 Despite innovation in business and financial models, investors are not yet comfortable with the inherent risk of this asset class.\u00a0 Outside of Kenya, commercial-grade debt has been reluctant to enter the nascent sector, and the cost of local capital is often prohibitively expensive [10].\u00a0 To solve this problem, Off Grid Electric must have a systematic methodology to identify viable customers, maintain market share, and to demonstrate its ability to accurately assess the risks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Off Grid Electric has leveraged multiple innovations to reach their customers.\u00a0 I hope to see continuous innovation to overcome the obstacles and to service the needs of one of the most underserved populations in the world (Word Count: 660).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[1] Wireless Intelligence 2012.<\/p>\n
[2] Deloitte\/GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa Mobile Observatory Report, 2012.<\/p>\n
[3] Wireless Intelligence 2012.<\/p>\n
[4] Daniel Waldron, Xavier Faz, Digitally Financed Energy: How Off-Grid Solar Providers Leverage Digital Payments and Drive Financial Inclusion, March 2016, CGAP.<\/p>\n
[5] SE4ALL (Sustainable Energy for All), Progress Toward Sustainable Energy 2015: Global Tracking Framework Report, 2015.<\/p>\n
[6] McKinsey, Brighter Africa: The Growth Potential of the Sub-Saharan Electricity Sector, 2015.<\/p>\n
[7] Eric Wesoff, Off Grid Electric Raises $45M in Debt for African Micro-Solar Leasing Platform, December 2015, Greentech Media.<\/p>\n
[8] Mark Okuttah, Solar Lamp Top-Ups on M-Pesa Pay Bill Jump to 10,000 Per Day, September 2014, Business Daily.<\/p>\n
[9] Daniel Waldron, Xavier Faz, Digitally Financed Energy, March 2016, CGAP.<\/p>\n
[10] GSMA, State of the Industry Report: Mobile Financial Services for the Unbanked, 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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<\/a><\/p>\n