Press Release
Nov 2nd, 2015
Mobisol installs 3MW PV and becomes the largest rent-to-own
solar energy provider in Africa
Mobisol reaches out to 30,000 African households as the largest provider of
micro-financed solar home and business systems and is fully set for market
expansion
Berlin, Germany. Mobisol, the Berlin-based provider of smart solar solutions for lowerincome households in emerging nations, has to date installed three Megawatts of capacity
(3MW) and equipped over 30,000 rural homes and businesses with clean and reliable energy
in Tanzania and Rwanda.
Mobisol’s large smart solar solutions power entire households and rural businesses. On
average Mobisol solar systems range around 100Wp, allowing them to power a variety of
high-quality DC appliances in order to improve people’s quality of life and economic
opportunities. This way, Mobisol caters both to the low-income base of the economic
pyramid and the increasing energy needs of a growing middle class segment within East
Africa. The ability of Mobisol to provide households with their entire electricity needs makes
Mobisol Solar Home Systems a perfect substitute to the grid.
Mobisol, East Africa’s largest rent-to-own solar energy provider by capacity installed, had
launched its product in the second quarter of 2013 with 1,800 solar systems sold till October
of the same year. A year later in Oct 2014, 9,000 systems had already been sold. In Oct 2015
over 30,000 sales were attained. Mobisol’s steady growth translates into a lasting local
impact in terms of social-economic development and environmental protection.
Approximately 90,000 children are now able to study at night using Mobisol’s clean efficient
LEDs without anymore breathing in dangerous kerosene fumes. About 750 trainees were
educated in the Mobisol Akademie in Tanzania and Rwanda and end-user training was
delivered to over 30,000 people. Mobisol directly created over 500 jobs in East Africa and
furthermore, over 10,000 entrepreneurs create incremental income using their solar system.
Mobisol’s clean and sustainably serviced solar systems currently compensate a total of
13,900t CO2 per year.
For 2016, Mobisol aims to provide a total of 100,000 households with access to affordable
and reliable solar energy. The company is now set to accelerate their scale-up in East Africa
while supporting their venture into new markets in Africa and Asia, thereby bringing the
overall target until the end of 2020 to approximately 10 million households, which equals a
market share of 1.6% of the global market potential.
Thomas Gottschalk, Founder and CEO of Mobisol Group, explains:
“We believe that ‘Big is Beautiful’: To us, electrification is more than three lights – our solar
solutions are powerful enough to run small businesses and electrify entire households.
Mobisol’s high quality products are robust, affordable and backed by smart IT solutions and a
reliable maintenance infrastructure. Mobisol is now a key driver of rural electrification in Africa
and is indeed ready to bring the solar revolution to rural communities worldwide.“
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Please find some high-resolution photos for your consideration here: http://ow.ly/U6uUn.
For further information please refer to our website www.plugintheworld.com or contact:
Lisa Schwarz
Communications Manager
[email protected]
Note to the editor
About Mobisol
Mobisol’s aim is to provide clean, affordable and reliable electricity to millions of households
in low-income communities – stimulating economic and social development while
simultaneously contributing to global environmental protection. Mobisol combines generating
power from solar energy sources with innovative mobile technology and IT solutions, as well
as a comprehensive customer service plan.
The low-cost, high-tech solar systems can be paid for through convenient instalments for as
low as 50 cents a day via mobile phones in a 36-month instalment plan. In this way
customers circumvent the problem of high initial investment costs of solar home systems.
Clients fully own their personal electricity source after three years. Mobisol customers enjoy
an extended warranty and comprehensive service plan including customer education, remote
monitoring of each system and free maintenance within 48 hours for three years.
Mobisol SHS’s are available in four different sizes ranging from 80 to 200 Watt. The smallest
unit can e.g. illuminate a medium-sized home with seven LED bulbs as well as power a radio,
charge various mobile phones and run a TV for some hours during the day. The largest
system powers multiple lights, consumer appliances such as a laptop/TV, a DC refrigerator
and charges up to ten mobile phones simultaneously. Mobisol also offers a “Business out of
a Box” feature, which enables entrepreneurial customers to set-up income generating
activities such as barbershops as well as phone and solar lantern charging stations.