Great panel interview on 'Green Innovation within Telecom' at the Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona! Featuring Arc Finance, Digicel and Intivation, who speak about the benefits and challenges of bringing renewable energy solutions to Telecom networks and consumer devices.
Digicel sees the need for renewable energy solutions in both their networks, due to the fact that they operate Islands and remote communities as well as dus to weather circumstances, and for powering consumer devices, becuase many of their customers do not have access to the electricity grid.
Intivation makes those renewable energy consumer devices: solar powered phones and solar chargers. For developing markets they have low end, cheap phones that can be powered entirely by the integrated solar panel. For developed markets the approach is that of a 'hybrid' phone: smartphones use so much energy that the solar panel provides extended battery life, a 'top-up' so to say.
Arc Finance focuses on making these renewable energy devices more affordable for the bottom of the pyramid. The barrier is the high upfront cost of these devices, which makes them unaccessible for many of the world's poor rural masses who would need them most. Arc Finance uses innovative financing models to make sure more people can actually own a renewable energy device.
Arc Finance is piloting the use of international remittances (the money migrants send home to their families) for the purchase of renewable energy devices in Haiti. Through their platform migrants can choose and send home renewable energy products such as solar chargers, lanterns and even solar home systems. Arc Finance is currently exploring this same model with Mobile Network Operator Roshan in Afghanistan, who want to provide access to renewable energy to their electricity bereft customers (Afghanistan has a electrification rate of only 7 %).
Watch the video on Mobile World Live: http://www.mobileworldlive.com/tv.asp?id=438 (you have to register to be able to see it)