Warranties? reparability of the product?
After sales and customer service are crucial. Many customers have seen government or donor funded energy projects come in, function for one year (if they're lucky), and then nothing. Businesses need to build trust and customer satisfaction to ensure these technologies maximise impact.
warranty: if the product is faulty we'll replace it for free.
reparability: we repair some products but we might charge if the product has been damage by the customer's improper use
SunnyMoney distributes products form different manufacturers (d.light, green light planet, etc..) and we offer the warranty as stated by them.
Solar energy and bio gas
Re. repairability. Most products are not locally manufactured and need to be returned to point of manufacturing. But products like OneDegree Solar's BrightBox are designed to be serviced locally. Their parts can also be found in most towns. onedegreesolar.com
I will kike to know about this .
How widely are lights distributed in Africa? My impression is that most of them are distributed in east Africa. And what about the mix between rural and urban sales?
What else is on the horizon/being sold now other than solar lights?
That's a very good point, Mrinmoy. We're going to be joined on tomorrow's Twitter Jam by Shell Foundation, who've been strong proponents of clean cookstoves.
A training on maintenance of any solar product will enhance the sales of the product.
Can we turn to our third question - around the role of governments...
Q3: What should governments do to help drive access to energy, including for women and children?
SunnyMoney has sold more than 1M lights in East Africa and we take care of the last-mile distribution (reaching the end customer in rural and remote areas). We are expanding quickly and form last year we have started operations in Senegal.
Total is also a big distributor of solar product through their service station network.
in terms of other products: rechargeable radios are very attractive one and of course also cookstoves
There are many variations of solar - we see solar lanterns, solar 'kits' which power lights and charge mobile phones, and also solar home systems (like BBOXX) that can power multiple appliances such as fridges and TVs. In terms of the market, I believe the greatest demand is for lighting, phone charging and entertainment. One of the emerging energy access models is solar mini-grids that can connect hundreds of households at once and provide a range of energy applications (TV, radio etc.).
Governments should drive awareness around the causes in my view to support the behaviour change process around the issues.
1) to help the market of distribute energy solutions: reducing or eliminating the taxes (VAT and importation taxes) on products like pico-solar lights and energy efficient cook stoves.
2) To run educational campaigns about RE and money saving energy solutions through schools, radio, television, etc.
3) Evaluating (and supporting) energy policies and energy projects not (just) in terms of installed capacity and MWh but also (mainly) in terms of extension of energy access (no. of off-grid people with access to a modern energy form) and services provided (to promote efficient use of energy).
Are there currently many developing countries which have tax exemptions or reductions on solar products?