A Singapore company that says it pioneered pay-as-you-go solar power for off-grid households in Southeast Asia is celebrating the installation of its 1,000th system in rural Myanmar.
SolarHome announced the milestone in a November 27 news release, which said the 1,000 systems had benefitted nearly 5,000 people, including 1,670 school children who had been able to extend their study time at home and 200 shop-keepers who could earn more because they could keep their businesses open after dark.
It also said 120 fishermen had been able to pursue night fishing using a detachable torch provided with the solar systems.
“By bringing affordable renewable energy to rural families under a rent-to-own model, SolarHome is making a massive tangible impact on the life quality of bottom-of-pyramid customers in Myanmar,” the news release said.
It said SolarHome operates from five “hubs” throughout Myanmar, where it has a workforce of more than 50 sales and installation staff, and has increased the monthly rate of installing the systems from under 100 to more than 500 in the past three months.
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“In the next year, we plan to bring affordable renewable energy to over 40,000 households in Myanmar,” said SolarHome deputy chief executive officer, Ms Mila Bedrenets.
She said 27 million households were living off-grid in Southeast Asia and the capacity for growth in the solar energy market was enormous.
