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SolarAid is launching ‘Light a Village’ – a new game-changing initiative to implement a new commercial model that aims to reach 100% penetration of solar energy in a single, rural off-grid community in Malawi. The pilot is being launched and funded as a ‘Permission to Fail’ project by long-term supporters Dr. Ewan Kirk and Dr. […]

  What is the potential for solar lanterns to improve education outcomes in rural off-grid regions? This is a question a new study in the Zimba district of Zambia looked to answer. The study results from collaboration between SolarAid, Acumen and Stanford University with funding from the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies. The research […]

Darkness surrounds Fabriola Davidson, 15, as she is sitting outside her home in Tembetembe Village, Dedza district, Malawi, reading a book on engineering. With a solar light firmly in her hand, the darkness no longer affects her, but it hasn’t always been this way.  In the past, Fabriola’s family had to rely on torch light […]

At SolarAid we have always been on a mission to make solar energy and lighting more affordable. We’ve sold almost 2 million little solar lights, we pioneered light libraries and Pay As You Go solar for people below the poverty line, and launched what was at the time, the World’s most affordable solar light. But despite this success, we need […]

We are very happy to announce that our little solar light, the SM100, has now been fully tested by Lighting Global and is now certified as meeting their quality standards. Lighting Global is the World Bank Group’s platform to support sustainable growth of the international off-grid solar market as a means of rapidly increasing energy access to […]

Light a Village is an award winning, game-changing model bringing solar power to the poorest and remotest areas in sub-Saharan Africa by combining the latest technology with strong community operations and an affordable financing model. Why Light a Village – reaching the hardest-to-reach Almost 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity. When […]

A message from the SolarAid & SunnyMoney board. In just three years, SolarAid’s retail arm SunnyMoney has catalysed the first two African national mass-markets in solar lighting, soaring to best-of-continent sales status from growth mostly in Kenya and Tanzania. But just as the charity and its social venture gear up to raise further funding for expansion across […]

One of the biggest challenges to widespread rural access of solar lights is affordability. One of the main drivers of affordability is the price of a product. While the cost of manufacturing solar lights has reduced dramatically in recent years, even the most affordable solar light is too expensive for many families where we work. […]

  In my 8 years in corporate fundraising, I have seen a million different ways companies work with charities. This has been anything from supporting research projects to hiking 200 miles through rainforests. There are so many wonderful examples of how a company can support a charity in its mission and SolarAid have been fortunate […]

  Sister Grace Mukupa has worked at St. Paul’s Rural Mission Health Centre in Zambia since 2013. The small rural clinic with 22 staff members have suffered from consecutive power cuts for a long time, which has forced healthcare staff to carry out procedures in the dark or wait until the morning to attend to […]