Namene Solar, a global company that aims to empower every community through clean technology, recently released its impressive and maiden impact report for 2023. In Zimbabwe, they have offices at 28 Ascot Road, Avonlea, Harare.
Beyond presenting a snapshot of what the company achieved in 2023, it captured some of the journey that it has been on over the years, evolving from a solar start-up to a fast-growing clean technology business with expanding horizons.
“Six years ago, we created Namene Solar to remove the barriers that prevent millions of people from accessing clean and free energy. Since then, through the combination of simple and durable design, innovative finance, and a focus on meeting the needs of off-grid families first and foremost, we have demonstrated that everyone, wherever they live and whatever their means, can have their life transformed by clean technology,” said Patrick Lagrange, Founder and CEO.
He noted that at the end of 2023, over 1.1 million families in Africa had swapped dangerous and costly sources of combustion for a Namene product, the founder and CEO said.
One of the highlights of last year was to formalise our purpose as ’empowering every community through clean technology.’ With your support and partnership, I am confident that we can and will deliver that purpose.”.
Empowering communities:
Today, with about 760 million people still without access to electricity, millions of families depend on kerosene or candles for lighting. Many more also rely on open fires or inefficient stoves for cooking. These combustion devices are costly, polluting, and dangerous.
Clean technologies that avoid emissions while reducing safety hazards and costs are available, but new business models are required to make these technologies affordable and accessible to those who need them the most. This urgent need for new approaches is the reason Namene was created.
“Namene means new dawn. We chose this name for our business because we know the important role that clean technology has in building a more sustainable and equitable world. We are guided by our purpose and live by a set of core values,” said Lagrange.
The Namene approach:
Namene is a business that believes people and the planet come first. They strive to provide affordable, highly reliable, everyday devices to those who need them the most. All their devices are designed to meet people’s daily needs in a sustainable and accessible way.
The company empowers those who are left out by current energy or utility models. This is done by enabling customers to buy what they need when they are able to and by discounting some of their products through the sale of high-integrity carbon credits.
The company exists to put their buyers and their communities first. It designs products that last as long as possible and provides after-sales service to all customers, wherever they live.
“We create local jobs wherever possible and use trusted local structures such as schools, NGOs, and community centres to distribute and maintain products,” said Lagrange.
Namene solar lights sold to date:
Namene deploys their durable and affordable solar lights through carbon subsidy projects and through direct sales. In 2023, they broadened their product range to include solar chargers.
Each of their lights requires just 1kg of CO2 to be manufactured, shipped, and taken all the way to customers in remote communities. Once in the buyers’ homes, it will save more than 400kg of CO2 over its lifetime.
Highlights of 2023 include:
- Sold the millionth light deployed under the carbon subsidy projects to a family in Western Zambia in September, marking a huge milestone on their journey.
- Launched their new ultra-lightweight Zafi solar charger to give people reliable access to power and connectivity in any location.
- Expanded commercial sales reach, signing distributors in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, and secured a significant commercial corporate CSI and marketing contract with Absa Bank.
- Gold Standard certified their second wave of carbon projects, opening the door for their products to reach millions more families in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.
- The Zimbabwe carbon project was awarded ‘Best Rural Electrification Project’ at Solar Week Zimbabwe 2023.
- Formalised their purpose, mission, values, and manifesto to help tell the world who they are. They refreshed their visual brand to reflect their ambitions and open a new chapter for their company.
- Became a Paris Peace Forum-approved project for our contribution to making carbon markets more efficient and trustworthy.
Mobilising carbon finance to transform lives:
Issuing carbon credits enables Namene to heavily subsidise the price of their products without compromising on quality or durability.
By replacing kerosene lamps, each Namene solar light avoids carbon emissions. The carbon revenue allows for the pricing of lamps at a 50–70% discount on their retail value. This carbon subsidy removes the key barrier of affordability to the mass adoption of clean technology by those who need it most.
They use Gold Standard, the certification body with the most stringent requirements on the voluntary carbon market, to certify their carbon credits.
“The carbon methodology establishes that each Namene light avoids 92 kg of carbon emissions every year—a conservative estimate—with research suggesting that each solar light used in lieu of a kerosene lamp avoids over 431 kg a year,” said the founder and CEO. “Our lights’ impacts are also verified through an internal audit process that goes beyond Gold Standard requirements, drawing on digital tools and regular customer surveys and engagement campaigns.”.
While their carbon projects enable the offering of subsidised high-quality products to over 10,000 new families in Africa every week,
In Zambia, 600,000 lights have been distributed to date, and 340,000 families have benefited across four provinces. Namibia has clocked 340,000 lights distributed to date, benefiting nearly half of the country’s population and creating over US$ 20 million in savings. The Zimbabwean market has seen 120,000 lights distributed out of a total of 600,000. They plan to fully eradicate kerosene for lighting by distributing 300,000 lights for the Lesotho market.
Namene are market leaders for the pico light market in Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and its impact is scalable to other countries and products.
They meet Sustainable Development Goal No. 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) with their solar lights, providing first-time access to clean lighting to families without electricity.
Beyond their carbon projects, they work with local distributors in several African countries to sell their products commercially, always at the lowest possible price and with no compromise on quality or customer care.
In addition to their lights, in 2023 they started selling their new Zafi solar charger in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
As a purpose-and-values-led business, they also want to help other organisations be visibly and tangibly committed to their purpose too. This is why they partner with a range of companies to help them empower rural communities through their CSR or ESG programmes.
In 2023, 25,000 of their products were sponsored and donated by corporate organisations, positively impacting the lives of over 70,000 people.
“Our products create profound and immediate impact for an incredible value proposition: every light distributed impacts 2.85 people, provides 5 hours of clean light per night, and allows the average household to save over USD 1.44 per week,” said Lagrange.
Bringing power into the darkest hour:
Solar lights can be invaluable for people made homeless in the wake of natural disasters or conflicts, enabling families to rebuild their lives as soon as possible and fostering a sense of normalcy and cohesion in temporary settlements. This is why Namene works with a range of NGOs to ensure our lights reach those who need them, even in the most desperate conditions.
Namene lights are particularly well suited for emergency situations, from their small, packable size and robust build to their long-lasting charge and efficient LEDs. Once distributed, their lights have low operating costs and can save vital resources for humanitarian organisations and affected communities.
Empowering local businesses:
In Zimbabwe, they have been working with Enrapower to deliver life-changing lights to some of the most remote off-grid homes across the country. The company has distributed over 50,000 of their lights since 2022, deploying sales staff and independent agents based in last-mile communities to sell and maintain products.
Namene has an employee presence in over 10 countries, with three regional poles in the UK, Kenya, and South Africa forming their ‘head office’. They now have over 80 full-time employees, with 70% based on the African continent. Ninety percent of their overall staff, which includes part-time sales agents, is community-based.
In 2024, they are looking forward to reaching more milestones on their journey to eliminating sources of combustion, launching new products that meet families’ daily needs, and forming new and innovative commercial partnerships that match corporate ESG and CSR goals to the most pressing and solvable societal challenges. They will also aim to issue more VERs to enable a wider range of organisations to make an impact and reach their net zero targets by investing in high-integrity carbon credits.
Text by Martin Chemhere