The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The adoption of green energy to power businesses in rural areas is gaining acceptance as business owners opt for solar gadgets such as refrigerators, television sets, and lighting, as a solution to frequent power usage challenges, according to Village Energy Solar Solution, a social enterprise operating in Kampala.
The social enterprise is basing its views on a survey supported by the Global LEAP Awards Refrigeration Challenge on 36 off-grid SMEs that received solar refrigerators in 2018 in five districts. The SMEs reported improved business performance.
The average total daily income increased from Shs146,000 to Shs262,000) a day. The survey found that the average daily revenue from drinks alone increased from Approx.Shs45,000 to Shs108,000) per day.
Around 50% reported expanding into a new business line and all respondents reported an increase in customers and sales, with overwhelmingly positive feedback.
A follow-up survey conducted in 2020 by Energy4Impact on the impact of the 2018 distribution indicated that 30 of 36 respondents (83%) still possessed the fridges they had gotten, whereas 89% were unable to easily find a good alternative to the solar fridge. 86% were likely to recommend the fridge to a friend, having assigned a mark between 8-10 out of 10.
The survey further revealed that 83% of the respondents noticed growth in their business in the previous two years because of the fridges and 27% were able to purchase a new solar system or appliance because of the additional income and awareness.
The overall sentiment depicted gratitude and satisfaction. Many respondents were able to do things such as buying land, saving money for future plans, buying clothes for their children, starting projects like piggery and basically improving their standard of living.
According to Waringa Matindi, the chief executive officer of Village Energy, Solar Energy refrigerators are continuously improving livelihoods and boosting incomes by enhancing productivity, expanding working hours, and increasing products/services, as well as cutting energy costs and eliminating business losses that are energy-related.
Equity Bank is partnering with Village Energy to provide affordable financial solutions to SMEs in the solar energy ecosystem.
Village Energy is a Uganda-registered for-profit social enterprise founded in 2008 and situated in Kampala.
It is a distributor of customized solar solutions that enable productive use of energy (PUE) for businesses, non-profit institutions & and agriculture in underserved areas.
