Generator with the power of 'lighting' Africa

With the goal of helping Africans access to clean and cheap electricity in place of toxic oil lamps, potential fire and fuel costs are relatively low for poor families, power companies. Nuru (Nuru Energy) in Rwanda has researched and developed a pedal generator called Powercycle, promising many benefits for rural areas far from the grid.

According to Lighting Africa (translated as Lighting Africa) - a program established by the World Bank (WB) and International Finance Organization (IFC) to promote the use of clean energy sources in lighting - up to 589 million Africans currently do not have access to electricity. On average, remote electricity communities spend about US $ 4.4 billion per year to buy light oil, while in areas where electricity is available, households and small businesses have to spend US $ 10 billion for lighting. Therefore, the Powercycle is considered a cheap, environmentally friendly lighting solution that contributes to creating jobs for people in remote rural areas.

Powercycle is a generator that uses the force of the foot or hand to act on the pedal and during 20 minutes of operation can generate energy to charge 5 LED bulbs, cell phones or radios. Nuru Energy said every LED light could light a house in the countryside for about a week. They also claim that Powercycle is more affordable and reliable than any other non-grid-based lighting solutions developed recently, such as light bulbs or lighting systems used. Solar. Nuru Energy calls the Powercycle 'the world's first commercialized pedal generator'.

Sameer Hajee - CEO and co-founder of Nuru Energy - said the Powercycle was born in the context that they tried to find a source of local energy and were independent of the grid, and human energy was The most feasible idea in the context of rural Africa.

With financial support from the World Bank, Nuru Energy conducted a test of the Powercycle power generation system manufactured by the company in Rwanda in 2009. But Mr. Hajee later found that only such advanced technology was not enough. let your project succeed in places like Rwanda. Hajee's company needs to receive innovative solutions in distribution. As a result, Nuru Energy decided not to sell products directly to consumers. Instead, they set up a network of small businesses at the village level who will be responsible for marketing, selling and charging LED lights to customers. Hajee thinks that this unique distribution model has revolutionized the lives of both small businesses and consumers.

General manager Hajee said on the client side, they would buy lights for $ 6, then pay an additional 20 cents a week to charge. Compared to the cost of 2 USD per week to buy kerosene burning light, the Powercycle can save 10 times more people. As for the business side, every 20 minutes of operating the pedal, they could light up 5 bulbs and collect 1 USD - more than 1 day's wages for most of the continent's population. According to Hajee, it proves that the Powercycle benefits both businesses and customers and this model can be easily applied throughout Africa. He also revealed that Nuru Energy, currently focusing on development in East Africa and India, has been approached by many potential partners to launch projects to other parts of the continent.