There is a common problem with most renewable sources of energy – customers are used to paying for energy as they use it but for renewables, the cost is all up front in the purchase price. This puts technologies such as wind turbines or traditional solar beyond the reach of many users. Eight19 has introduced IndiGo, a way of combining mobile phone technology with solar power to offer pay as you go solar. Users buy scratchcards to pay for their solar power using the money they save on kerosene. In fact, in Kenya, IndiGo deployments are so cost-effective that users spend half as much on their IndiGo solutions that they previously did on kerosene.
But this is only half the story. Today a user may purchase an entry-level IndiGo system capable of lighting 2 rooms and charging one mobile phone. But over time, that person’s requirements will grow. They may want more lights, to power a radio or TV or even power a sewing machine to enable them to make more money. IndiGo grows with these needs allowing customers to ride the “energy escalator” by which products are progressively upgraded over time to grow from simple systems to full home electrification.
