North-South News, Durban, South Africa, 3 January 2011

Econet Solar, the solar-powered electric giant, has launched a new technology that addresses the needs of half a billion people in Africa who are living without access to electricity. Known as The 'Home Power Station', the device is a standalone electricity solution designed for those in areas where there is no access to the grid or a source of sustainable, reliable power which is around 70% of Africa. It will provide lighting, and power to charge cell phones, on a pre-paid basis, using the same systems and in the same way airtime is purchased for mobile phones. Details made available at the 17^th Conference of the Parties to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, said the mechanism also removes the requirement for high upfront costs which have until now prevented hundreds of millions of people across Africa benefiting from solar powered lighting systems in their home. About 96% of mobile subscriptions in Africa are on a pre-paid/pay as you go basis, a payment method with which most Africans are familiar. The Home Power Station uses a solar panel to charge a battery which provides power for four lights and a cell phone charger. Econet hopes that future generations of the product will serve homes of all sizes as the business model is fully scalable. The Solar box contains a SIM card, similar to those used in cell phone handsets. The SIM card enables the device to communicate with the cellular network and in turn makes it possible for the customer to pre-pay for energy usage. It is designed to supply, on a pre-paid basis, affordable lighting for small homes and cell phone charging. The UN has promised that 2012 will finally be the year in which the world seriously tackles the reality that 1.2 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity.