SolarAid is opening a brand-new innovation hub in Kenya with support from the Turner Kirk Trust. — This year, SolarAid is launching the ‘SunnyMoney Brains’ Unit in Kenya to develop, test and implement new trading models to increase the distribution of solar lights across Africa. The innovation centre comes after a £90,000 philanthropic donation by […]
SolarAid Partnerships Manager, Charlie Miller (pictured), has published a piece on the role aid agencies should play in meeting the energy needs of off-grid communities. He believes that there are two main objectives agencies should focus on in order to foster the necessary conditions for an effective and sustainable solar market to develop. These […]
Last week we celebrated Impact Week – all the great things solar light customers have told us about how solar lights have changed their life. This week if you want to learn more about how it is we collect that research, and use it, then you’re in for a treat… Our Social Impact & Research Manager Kat […]
I’m Kat Harrison, the Social Impact & Research Manager at SolarAid. I started at SolarAid just over a year ago to set up our impact measurement and research function; if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know all of this, of course. In just one year, we’ve made incredible progress and today marks the release […]
A charity with customers? This week is National Customer Service Week. You might wonder what National Customer Service week has to do with a charity working in Africa, but as many of you already know – we don’t believe in giving solar lights away. We sell them through our social enterprise SunnyMoney, at a full but fair […]
SolarAid and Solarcentury Chairman, Jeremy Leggett, has been recognised for his ‘outstanding contribution to the global solar PV industry’ with another top gong at the Solar Industry Awards 2013. David Ridsdale, editor in chief at Solar International says: “Jeremy Leggett set himself up as an environmental champion who wanted to also make use of his business and […]
You might remember us talking lots about our exciting new project in Senegal – not only a new country for SolarAid’s social enterprise, SunnyMoney, but also a new model for getting solar lights to rural Africa which was developed by the SunnyMoney Brains innovations unit. The World Bank/Lighting Africa funded SunnyMoney to deliver this project in partnership with the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency and the Ministry of […]
When the sun sets across rural Africa many families reach for kerosene to light their home. Often burnt in a homemade tin lamp, the flame emits thick black smoke damaging a family’s health as well as the environment. It is expensive, accounting for around 20% of household income, and barely emits enough light for a […]
The stifling effect of kerosene light dependency has been on our radar for some time now. As you may have heard us utter once or twice in the past, kerosene used for lighting alone can eat up to 20% of a household’s income and emits harmful fumes – the equivalent of around 40 cigarettes per […]
Last night SolarAid was thrilled to receive the 2013 Ashden International Gold Award for its work getting solar lights to students in rural Africa. CEO, Steve Andrews, accepted the award but dedicated it to the local African teams who,“spend months away from their wives, children and husbands, out in the field miles and miles away from […]