Purpose

To establish and operate a micro energy service company with a micro credit facility to increase the use of small solar photovoltaic (PV) LED Lighting systems in remote rural areas of Solomon Islands and Kiribati, and to quantify the carbon emission reductions achieved with the replacement of kerosene lights by small solar PV LED lighting systems.

Main Activities

• Purchase, sale and installation of the Light Up the World (LUTW) solar LED systems (5 W panel, 2 LED lights and a battery) through the Micro-Energy Service Companies (MESCOs) in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati;
• Identify and train local entrepreneurs in the assembling, installation and maintenance of small solar PV LED lighting systems to be supported by a micro-credit scheme
• Develop crop barter model to allow farmers to trade bananas and kassava as installment payments for their systems
• Develop a Project Identification Note (PIN) for carbon emission reductions (est. 121 tonnes over a ten year period)

Expected Impact

• Crops traded for solar LED systems are worth €0.28 per day, down from €0.63 per day for kerosene
• After close of this project, the model has since up-scaled to additional 600 households, an 18-fold increase on the original project’s 35 households
• Further 1400 interested households await financing