Comments on: Pay-As-You-Go Solar Startup Bringing Cheap, Clean Lighting To Kenya http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/28/pay-as-you-go-solar-startup-bringing-cheap-clean-lighting-to-kenya/ Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Sun, 28 Dec 2014 08:17:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 By: Otis11 http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/28/pay-as-you-go-solar-startup-bringing-cheap-clean-lighting-to-kenya/#comment-153085 Fri, 01 Mar 2013 03:01:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=49011#comment-153085 Rent-to-own solar is a great concept and I wish it would spread! It could even be very useful in the developed world for large rooftop arrays!

But these projects for developing countries are really amazing too. Not only do they improve the health of the family and give them better light than kerosene lamps, but by also allowing them to save money while renting it and save even more after they own it, it gives them a fighting chance to pull themselves up and further improve their family’s quality of life!

The only thing I worry about with this project is the $30 up front costs. How many of them can afford that? Sure some will be able to, but the really poor who barely make ends meet will have to scrimp and save a LONG time to afford $30.

Are there any projects where we can chip in and pay the initial costs, then have the money that they pay back spread to buying one for their neighbors until the entire village is electrified?

]]> By: beernotwar http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/28/pay-as-you-go-solar-startup-bringing-cheap-clean-lighting-to-kenya/#comment-153083 Fri, 01 Mar 2013 01:32:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=49011#comment-153083 I think it’s important to consider the long term benefit of bringing solar to developing countries. While we all want impoverished parts of the world to improve their standard of living, the world can’t support more people using fossil fuels the way developed nations do. By starting them out with renewables, hopefully as they develop they will build clean energy infrastructure as they go, rather than having to retrofit it as we’re doing in the US.

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