Innovation and Research Services
Innovation is vital for our work. Though millions of people are turning to solar solutions, we need to give this choice to the millions more still unable to afford the upfront cost of a $10 solar light. TheSunnyMoney Brains Innovation Unit develops initiatives to drive SolarAid’s impact.
- Trialling new entry-level pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar lights to help find ways for customers to pay off the cost of their light in instalments equal to their usual expenditure on kerosene or candles; making products more affordable for lower-income, risk-averse families
- Product Financing: working with Savings and Credit Co-operatives (SACCOs) and Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) in Kenya and Tanzania to extend the product financing they offer on solar products
As an organisation focussed on climate solutions,SunnyMoney also works to minimize the environmental impact of the solar lights. SunnyMoney works with manufacturers to improve product efficiency and materials and is building recycling processes, currently being trialled with partners in Kenya.
While innovation helps us to develop new ways to bring solar light to low income families, SolarAid’s extensive research programmes help us understand the needs of our customers and to promote policies that create the biggest development benefits. For instance, SolarAid is working with Google on a randomised control trial to better understand the impact of a portable solar light on poverty alleviation and with Stanford University to further explore impacts on education.
SolarAid shares all of its learning so the industry can work together to reach more people and drive policies which create the most effective change.
