BioLite SolarHome 620
Energy sits at the center of our lives, keeping us safe, productive, and connected, but access to energy is limited or non-existent for more than 1.2 billion people forcing families to pay large amounts of their income for expensive kerosene lamps. At the same time, mobile phone usage by off-grid consumers is growing rapidly but locating reliable electricity for recharging remains elusive and expensive. Creating energy access for a growing world population has become one of the biggest opportunities of our time.
BioLite embarked on a program to expand access to low cost solar lighting systems that addressed rural sub-Saharan customer’s most important household energy needs. Applying user centered design best practices, BioLite conducted in-depth customer interviews, user-interaction testing, and in-field verification with functional prototypes. Many key features of the resulting SolarHome 620 were included as a direct result of this approach including a motion sensor security light and radio within the unit.
The SolarHome 620’s Six-watt solar panel generates up to 24 hours of light from just one day in the sun. The unit includes 3 string lights with individual light switches on 18 feet of daisy-chainable cables enabling families to illuminate multiple rooms at once. The Control Box features a light, 20Wh battery including charging ports, and an interactive LED screen to help users understand their power consumption while also controlling the radio. To make the product as affordable as possible, BioLite included a built-in pay as you go mechanism to help users finance the product, by paying in small increments vs. saving up for a one-time purchase. As BioLite’s first-crossover product (launched in both the emerging markets and recreation markets), the SolarHome is transforming the way people access affordable and renewable personal-scale energy.
