Light, Batteries and Microfinance Institution in Rwanda - Project:: Solar Energy Kiosk

BTC is working on a pilot project with Equinox (student group of the Imperial College in London). This project consists of a solar kiosk in a rural village, very far from any main routes and the electricity grid. Two significant findings of this project that we should consider in the planning of our new component are: - They set a microfinance mechanism to allow people to pay a 40.000 RwF deposit for a battery. This was not successful because this price was too high. They price was reduced to 5.000 RwF and this is now working. - Lighting is not a priority for these households. They like having a battery, firstly, to have energy for radios and mobile phone charging, secondly, to watch TV and, finally, for lighting at home. This means that, at least in that village, batteries are better accepted if they are compatible with radios, mobile phones and TVs than with lamps.