The Angaza SoLite is a 3-watt solar home lighting and cell-phone charging system with integrated, patent-pending Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) technology. PAYG allows Angaza to sell high-quality alternative energy products, like the SoLite, for a low, affordable upfront price. Customers then pay the remainder of the unit price in small increments over time by pre-paying for their energy use. To do this, they simply send Angaza a micropayment of the size of their choice using a phone-based mobile money service, such as Safaricom M-PESA. Angaza receives the payment and initiates a call to the customer’s phone. They answer that call and hold their phone near the SoLite. Angaza uses the open audio channel to securely communicate the customer’s payment to their product. By using audio communication to leverage the customer’s existing phone hardware, Angaza can embed its technology in solar products at minimal additional cost. The Angaza PAYG hardware then tracks how much energy the customer consumes, and after the pre-paid energy is used, output shuts off until the next payment is made. Payments are rent-to-own, and the SoLite unlocks permanently when the full price has been reached. Customers save hundreds of dollars over the life of the SoLite compared with status quo kerosene and cell-phone charging purchases.
Publicly available: yes
Countries where available: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda
Price range (USD): 20 to 50 USD
Offered or can be licensed for local manufacture: Interested distribution partners, please contact us!
Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 1"
Weight: 2 lbs