Syli Solaire Aims to Make Solar Power Accessible to ALL Guinean Off-Grid Households

Guinea’s energy situation is characterized by low energy consumption per inhabitant, less than half a ton of oil equivalent (toe).  

As with many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Guinea is heavily dependent on traditional biomass fuels and the efficient production of charcoal, in conjunction with the sustainable use of forest resources, is a concern to the country.   

Average annual insolation of 4.8 kWh/m2/day and a mean sunshine duration of 2,700 hours per year suggest that solar potential are considerable in Guinea, states Afribiz.    

Representative Image (Source: Energy Matters)  

A group of students, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists passionate about making a difference in the world and launched a crowd fundraising campaign ‘Syli Solaire’ in Indiegogo; to bring clean energy to off-the-grid households in Guinea.  

Team Syli Solaire (Image source: Syli Solaire)  

Presently solar panel comes at a much greater cost than kerosene, candles, or wood. They aim to make solar panels available to everyone at a cost that is comparable with what the average family spends on fire-based light sources each week.   

Also, there is a scarcity of electricity outside of the Guinea capital city of Conakry, for light, families turn to kerosene lamps, candles, and open campfires. These energy sources are dangerous to health and our environment.   

Each participating family will receive a Solar Panel Kit, which comes with everything needed to provide basic lighting, as well as phone charging  (Source: Indiegogo)  

The majority of Guineans live on less than $2 per day through blue-collar employment, like farming, construction and mining. For this reason, renewable energy sources like solar panels are financially out of reach to most Guineans.  

Instead of spending $2 per week at the market for fuel and equipment, the Syli Solaire team thought – why don’t the families invest that into a solar panel they could lease-to-own over within a year or less?   

The families of Guinea will have safer, cleaner energy, and their energy costs would reduce to zero after some time!   

Syli Solaire needs your help to launch a company that distributes panels, paid for over an agreed length of time, thus improving rural lives at an affordable cost.  

The Indiegogo campaign has a goal of $30,000, which is needed for an initial shipment of materials and to establish the administration necessary to support the growth of the company.   

Bring solar energy to homes in Guinea by supporting this Indiegogo campaign through donations and promotion.