Nthabiseng Mosia was in high school when she first experienced power cuts in her community. The entrepreneur grew up in South Africa where citizens have born the brunt of an ongoing energy crisis. Frustrated by her experience of preparing for school exams by candlelight, Mosia went on to study energy finance and policy at Columbia University. Here, she had a lightbulb moment. What if energy could be made affordable and accessible to Africans living off the grid?
What started as an admirable idea developed into the company Easy Solar, which provides a sustainable solution to people in under-resourced communities. Mosia, together with her partners Eric Silverman and Alexandre Tourre, began their efforts in Sierra Leone where the majority of the population did not have access to modern electricity. Easy Solar implements solar home systems for households that do not receive a municipal supply of electricity. These communities benefit from solar panels and solar inverters, while battery generators are available to buildings on the grid for when the main power supply is cut.
“In a world run by electronics, power cuts can put individuals at a major disadvantage,” Mosia says. Easy Solar’s offering includes appliances such as solar lamps, fans, and radios. Some devices such as the lamps can also charge mobile phones. To make it as accessible as possible, customers can use the pay-as-you-go online platform or pay in cash, and every service is on a rent-to-own financing structure.
Easy Solar’s work has since expanded to Liberia. “If we don’t solve the electricity access problem, we are going to be dealing with a world that is even more unequal,” Mosia says. By using renewable energy, she has changed the lives and livelihoods of over 450 000 Africans. Access to electricity is a fundamental human right, and Mosia is at the forefront of lighting up Africa’s communities.
Footage by Easy Solar was used in the creation of this film.
Please sign in to leave a comment