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Do-It-Yourself Solar Project in Kibera Slum
The idea involves designing,producing and selling of simple soalr panels within Kibera slums,other slum areas and rural areas of the country.
The solar panels being a source of renewable energy,this will ensure the attainment of environmental sustainability and cheap access to energy by the slum and rural residents;who are poor.
The solar panels will be used for powering radios,charging mobile phones,re-charging recharable batteries and other electric devices hence facilitating cheap access to information whereas,information is vital for any development process.
With the current tide of unemployment among yougn people,the idea is anticipated to provide employment opportunities to many young people who will earn a decent living and be assured of sustainable livelihood.
The products will be sold at cheap price to ensure that they are affordable to the poor who need them most because energy is essential in our daily lives.
The Business
The business idea will be profitable because there is no other practioneer as of now engaging in simple solar assembling.
Apart from armophous silicon which requires importation,other materials are locally available bringing down the cost of production/assembling.
The business venture also has a wide market mainly in the rural areas hence there is surety of steady sales even at low price.
The idea targets mostly the rural and slum dwellers;those who cannot afford the high cost of electricity or even other imported solar panels which are expensive.
The products and services will be paid for by the target group at a reduced cost to ensure that the idea is profitable and sustainable.
The primary customers for the solar products are from the rural and slum areas of Kenya.The expansion of the market is also likely to other African countries after the pilot phase of the business idea is through.
Having in mind the poverty levels in rural and slum areas of Kenya;where many people cannot afford the high cost of electricity or solar panels despite teh fact that they need it most to make life easy.
An affordable solar product is assured to register high sales.The fact that the solar products are also simple to use makes them appeal even more to the customers making their demand to be high.
Making and assembling of simple solar panels is a new technology for Kenya moreso;to the low income class of people.
The only competitors in this venture would be the international solar companies dealing in importation of solar products.
Our idea stands out based on the approach in the venture.we are looking at it from three perspectives i.e.the provision of a source of cheap energy,employment creation for young people and environmental sustainability given the fact that,solar energy is a renewable source of energy.
Partnership exists betweej us and the founder of the "Do it yourself solar technologies" in the UK.
Graham Knight.(Founder)
BioDesign15 Sandyhurst Lane
Ashford
Kent
TN25 4NS UK
+44-1233-626677
biodes@bigfoot.com
www.biodesign.org.uk
He is responsible for consultancy services in solar products and improvements.
The other partner is:
EcoVentures International
Kate Davenport
Program Manager
1519 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 301
Washington, DC 20036
kate@eco-ventures.org
www.eco-ventures.org
Training and supporting the business idea through networking.
Our customers will know about the products through mass media i.e. TV,radio and print media.We will design posters and brochures with information about the products and distribute them in different areas.
The fact that this initiative also has the involvement of a community organization dealing in youth development,this provides an opportunity to market the products through workshops,seminars,conferences and on the website as well.
Through the community theatre program,marketing and demonstration of the products can can be done to the potential customers.
For the first marketing strategy,we aim to reach 200,000 people across the country of which 150% are expected to be customers.
Development
This venture will bring cheap and almost free energy to the majority of people in the rural and slum areas that can be used in different development processes.
With the availability of simple solar panels that can power radios,people will be in aposition to listen to news and stay informed of opportunities that are their in business,development projects and updates on market rates of various agricultural products which they can trade in.
Bringing information close to the people will play important role in their development while those who work directly for the venture will get sustainable livelihood that contributes to the efforts towards poverty reduction.
As the business expands,more people will be employed and investment made into innovation of other solar products that will make life easy and cheap for the poor.
Those employed are able to meet their basic needs as well.
Hi
this is absolutely brilliant one!!keep it up.
Just wondering how much would cost a 80W solar panel assembled by Do-it-yourself?and how much is the armophous silicon/germanium per kilo,I would be interested to fund this project,see Africa we are so hugely blessed with 12hrs sunlight energy that goes unnoticed daily this is MILLIONS OF WATTS a day that needs to be transformed into electricity.
Ndassya.