Sanyo in conjunction Africa Children Education Fund (ACEF) and students at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) have come up with a clean energy solution that has boosted the renewable energy process.The Solar LED Lantern was developed for people living in un-electrified areas. It is a product that has helped Kenyans in improving their standards of living. This project is targeting the bottom of the pyramid, low income population.

ACEF having been operational since 1985 has seen the organisation provide food, health facilities and education within the eastern province. It has helped eradicate poverty be engaging the communities in development projects. The company came up with the Solar LED Lantern and the students developed the mobile charging kit. The mobile charging kit was incorporated because the lantern can be used up to three days without having to charge its battery again and on the while the solar panel would be lying in a box wasting valuable opportunity to harness solar energy.

Most people in rural Kenya have access to the mobile phone but the problem is how to charge it since the national grid hasn’t gone as far. They say necessity is the mother of invention and as so the mobile kit was introduced to compliment the lantern. The plus for this is that one can be able to charge any kind of mobile phone as it has many ports for this.

The Solar LED Lantern has been an answer in both Kenya and Uganda and has seen households and schools benefit from its efficiency and its ease of use. The use of kerosene lamps for lighting despite the serious health problems caused by the black smoke it produces is not known to most people and if they do understand there’s nothing much they can do. The kerosene lamp also needs a budget to maintain it and thus pressure to the household.