Stage of Innovation: MVP (You have a product ready to go to the market)

Problem: Energy poverty has become a major setback to development in Africa as over 633 million people in Africa are not connected to electricity and live in rural areas and slums, according to the Access to Energy report of 2020. In Nigeria, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) estimates that nearly 50% of Nigerians or about 90 million people in Nigeria do not have access to electricity. The above-mentioned percentage of people in Africa and Nigeria at the bottom of the pyramid are poor and cannot afford solar energy equipment. Available solutions to these energy problems are usually expensive to adopt for a group of people who typically live below USD1 per day and others adopt the use of alternative power sources such as power generators, kerosene lanterns, candles etc which emit carbon and are harmful to the environment. Solaris is solving this problem by locally manufacturing and deploying micro solar power solutions and retailing energy to community dwellers through our solar booths and micro power kits and by so doing, driving energy inclusion and reducing the initial cost of adoption to less than $1. Community members come to the Solaris booths to charge their mobile devices and rent mobile power. Solaris provides power kits that range from 10W to 100W to community members on a rental model. Through our network of booth agents, community members access these kits at 10 cents to enjoy a constant power supply.

Unique Selling Point: Other energy solutions alternatives in the market include Okra solar, Salpha Energy, Fenix, Lumous, Oolu etc They adopt either an outright sale or a pay-as-you-go model which is typically expensive to adopt especially for those at the bottom of the pyramid. Other sources of energy also include power generators that burn fossil fuels, candles, kerosene lanterns etc that emit carbon and contribute to global warming. What makes us different; 1. We understand the basic energy needs of community members and retail energy to them through our solar booths thereby reducing the initial cost of adoption to less than $1. 2. Zero ownership model for clients which removes the initial cost of adoption for solar products. 3. Our energy source is clean and renewable. It does not emit carbon and doesn't contribute to global warming. 4. We support community development through our Solaris booth which keeps us as members of the community. 5. Our products are made in Nigeria enabling us to create more jobs in Nigeria.