Rural Spark Energy Kit
Rural Spark
A modular solar home system.
The Rural Spark Energy Kit is an energy solution for rural communities. It is a modular system, with a number of PV solar panels, batteries and lamps that adapt to the customer’s needs. The standard kit includes a Rural Spark router station, one 40Wp solar panel, a prepaid system, one Rural Spark battery cube, 2 Wired LED bulbs, 12 Rural Spark lamps, and 2 mobile phone charge cables with most used connectors. The Spark Station can power any USB powered or 12V powered application. The system is supported by the Rural Spark Service Platform.
Customers become Local Energy Suppliers who can sell the energy to their fellow villagers, becoming resilient entrepreneurs. They can rent lamps, charge phones for their neighbors, which allow them to get an additional income. Modularity of the Rural Spark station also allows for flexible storage capacity to fit the energy demand. The battery cubes can be traded, allowing to trade energy between Local Energy Suppliers increasing efficiency and reliability.
Rural Spark is located in New Delhi, India and Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Rural India.
Rural Spark has distributed pilots in Bihar, India. The first kits have been distributed by Vayam Group, which is part of Basix Group India.
Rural Spark will rely on different rural distribution companies to have the products distributed on a large-scale over several channels.interview with representative
The kit is offered to Local Energy Suppliers for around 20.000 INR (300 USD). A hire-and-purchase model is offered by the distribution companies over 18 or 24 months.
The Local Energy Supplier pays a 5% down payment (approx 1.000 INR, or 15 USD). With the financial product, Local Energy Suppliers pay approximately 950 INR per month (14 USD). Their income, however, is around 1.800 INR per month (27 USD per month) generated by providing energy to their fellow villagers (renting lamps, charging phones).
These numbers apply to the standard kit containing 1 PV panel, 1 Rural Spark Router, 1 Rural Spark Cube, 2 Wired LED bulbs, and 12 Rural Spark lamps.
The lamp itself is sold at INR 650, that is to say below USD 10.
Solar home systems such as M-KOPA III Solar Home System, ReadyPay 10W Home Starter Kit and Azuri Duo Solar Home System.
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Off grid, low income users in rural India.
The customers can become village level entrepreneurs, creating and developing their own village level business models. Customers can use the products or charge mobile phones or lamps for their neighbours. This way they earn money. With the rental model offered by Rural Spark, people can make profit from day one, and become what they call “Local Energy Suppliers”.
