Mobisol reaches 250,000 people in Africa

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Mobisol is a company that is leading the way in solar dispersion in the less established markets of the world. The company’s most recent landmark is testament to that, as over 250,000 people in Tanzania and Rwanda now benefit from reliable electricity supplied by Mobisol’s off-grid solar systems.

The rent-to-own solar solutions, which are available in Tanzania and Rwanda and are soon to be available in Kenya, have the capacity to power the home of an average East African family. More than just this, they come with various electrically-run appliances in a closed-loop system, so that the electricity generated can power things such as televisions, radios, charging docks, and hair clippers.

“It’s like an iPhone, the main reason that the iPhone is so popular is because of the apps,” Mobisol Corporate Development Manager, Klaus Maier told pv magazine. “If it didn’t have the apps then people wouldn’t have to much they could do with it. This is why we include the appliances people can use. Plus, it’s good for us if our customers can generate income, as then it’ll be easier for them to pay back the loan.”

The company has now installed 50,000 of its off-grid systems in East Africa, which combined equals over 5 MW of solar capacity, making Mobisol the largest in East Africa in terms of capacity. Earlier in the month, when pv magazine was shown round its headquarters in Berlin, a digital ticker on the office wall, that counts every system that is installed, read 48,836.

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“When we commercially launched our products three years ago, our main vision was to mitigate climate change,” commented Mobisol founder and CEO Thomas Gottschalk. “Fifty thousand installed solar systems later, I am even more thrilled to see our customers’ happiness when they turn on their lights, TV and fridge for the first time, or start up a small energy-based business. Access to clean, affordable and reliable energy literally empowers entire nations to live up to their potential – improving economic well-being and uplifting communities’ quality of life.”

The off-grid solar market in Africa is currently booming, and is expected to grow at a fast pace as the solutions become more and more practical and affordable. July’s edition of pv magazine has an in-depth analysis of the off-grid market in Africa, with exclusive access to four of the biggest companies. You can subscribe here.

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2 comments

  1. To my mind it’s great that poor people of Africa finally can enjoy bliss of electricity in remote and distant areas. They’ve got devices that make their lives easier and what is more, they’ve got working places due to solar plants. Humanity is on the right way discovering possibilities of nature and combining it’s with modren technologies. Maybe the IoT https://qubit-labs.com/agro-technology-software/ will make Africa suitable not only for building solar plants but also for agriculture providing irrgation of its dry lands with software powered drones. Imagine one day Africa will turn into a blossoming continent!

  2. I am off to an opinion that technology can help African people lift from poverty. I have seen some online businesses from African countries so I am pretty hopefully It could be IoT or could be simple http://www.frontdevelopers.com but I think IT student need to think at this area because it is the only way that can make things better for them.

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