Orange Kenya has inked a deal with GreenLight Planet in order to provide solar lighting to Kenyan homes. The homes targeted are essentially based in areas that have limited access to electricity.
According to Orange Kenya, it is set to launch a product bundle that includes a mobile handset, which will be coupled with a Sun King solar lamp for a discounted price. According to both companies, this will allow Kenyans to charge and use their mobile phones without the need of a power source.
The solar lamps bundled with a mobile phone will cost KES 3,899 for the Sun King mobile, KES 4,699 for the Sun King Pro II and KES 8,799 for the Sun King Home.
Stand-alone solar devices that are not bundled with Orange mobile devices will cost KES 2,900 for the Sun King Mobile, KES 3,700 for the Sun King Pro II and KES 7,800 for the Sun King Home.
Anish Thakkar, CEO, Greenlight Planet stated that: “Access to adequate, clean lighting is now as fundamental as access to water and other essential amenities, as it enables parents to provide for their children by extending their working hours after dark, and children can do their homework without straining their eyes or harming their lungs with fumes from lanterns that utilize petroleum or solid fuels. Close to 1.5 billion people lack access to grid-based lighting, forcing people to walk several kilometers to purchase fuels for cooking and light and also charge their mobile phones for a fee. We are thrilled to launch this partnershp with Orange Telkom Kenya to broaden the reach of our Sun King solar energy solutions and hope to reach millions of Kenyan homes together,” this is according to cio.co.ke.
Vincent Lobry, CEO, Orange Kenya, revealed that: “As mobile phones are fast becoming a necessity for most Kenyan households, access to reliable means of energy is imperative for communication, mobile banking and maintaining business interests.”
According to cio.co.ke it is estimated that about 73 per cent of Kenyans live within 1-kilometre (0.6 miles) distance of a power transformer, yet only 18 per cent are connected to the grid. At its most basic level, Africa’s energy poverty means there is often no electricity to power lights to study or to work at night. It also means no access to safer electric cooking and heating, powered health centres, or electricity to run a business.
Darryl Linington
