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SolarAid HGCC 2012 Case Study (Login or register to download the case here):

Revolutionizing the way to make energy affordable for everyone
Going beyond the status quo - creating bigger, better,bolder, faster and cheaper solutions

Key Question:
Can SunnyMoney get off-grid solar power and light to one million households by the end of 2013?

Executive Summary:

SunnyMoney wants to transform lighting in Africa

Millions of people in Africa could benefit from better lighting solutions

  • Light increases productivity and enriches life
  • Adequate light sources are widely available in Africa, but millions of people rely on expensive off-grid lighting
  • Access to light also means access to energy

SunnyMoney is working to bring affordable off-grid solutions to Africa

  • SunnyMoney is a social enterprise that evolved out of SolarAid
  • SunnyMoney offers micro-lighting solutions
  • SunnyMoney has had a hard time building scale

SunnyMoney needs to address many challenges to achieve their goal

  • The market isn’t aware of the product, and potential customers are hard to reach
  • Potential customers don’t quickly see the benefits
  • Many customers can’t pay up front, or over time
  • The supply chain can’t respond quickly, and SunnyMoney’s batteries have an expiration date

SunnyMoney needs new and better solutions to achieve wide-scale,transformative impact

  • Are there new customers and experiences to target?
  • Are there new ways to deliver SunnyMoney’s solutions?
  • Are there new offerings that SunnyMoney can bring to the market?
  • Are there new ways to produce SunnyMoney’s solutions?
  • Are there new business models?
  • Are there new partners to collaborate with?

Can SunnyMoney get off-grid solar power and light to one million households by the end of 2013?

Resources:

  1. Tanzania Population Relief Web, accessed November 30, 2011.
  2. Ravi, Nessman, “India: Land of many cell phones, fewer toilets,” Bloomberg BusinessWeek, October 31, 2010, accessed November 29, 2011.
  3. Malawai Customer Baseline, “Who are SunnyMoney users?” SolarAid survey data collected January 2010—March 2011, accessed October 30, 2011.
  4. Global Environment Facility, “Investing in Renewable Energy,” accessed December 23, 2011
  5. Itai Madamombe, “Electricity, Energy key to Africa’s prosperity,” Africa Renewal, Vol. 8, No. 4, January 2005, p. 6, accessed DATE.
  6. Resource Center for Energy Economics and Regulation (University of Ghana), “Guide to Electric Power in Ghana,” July 2005,accessed November 20, 2011.
  7. Viven Foster and Cecilia Briceño-Garmendia, editors, “Africa’s Infrastructure: A Time for Transformation,” 2010, accessed December 20, 2011
  8. Africa Energy Summary, accessed November 15, 2011
  9. Lighting Africa, About Us In Numbers, accessed December 23, 2011
  10. Malawai Customer Baseline, Who are SunnyMoney users?, SolarAid survey data collected January 2010—March 2011
  11. Malawai Customer Baseline, Who are SunnyMoney users?, SolarAid survey data collected January 2010 – March 2011, accessed October 25, 2011.
  12. Malawai Customer Baseline, Who are SunnyMoney users?, SolarAid survey data collected January 2010—March 2011, accessed October 25, 2011.
  13. Malawai Customer Baseline, Who are SunnyMoney users? SolarAid survey data collected January 2010 – March 2011, accessed October 25, 2011.
  14. World Bank “Government Response to Oil Price Volatility,” accessed December 23, 2011.
  15. Interview with Steve Andrews, CEO of SolarAid, October 29, 2011.
  16. Egg-Energy, accessed October 20, 2011.
  17. Index Mundi, accessed October 11, 2011.
  18. Concern Universal, accessed November 5, 2011
  19. Mafia Island, accessed December 10, 2011.
  20. Interview with Steve Andrews, CEO of SolarAid, October 29, 2011

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