Decentralized Home Solar Power Is Lighting Up Sub-Saharan Africa

Over 500 million Africans currently live without electricity, and thousands of people who do have power have to deal with frequent outages. In rural areas lacking a grid, most homes get light from kerosene lamps. Kerosene is dependable—if you burn it, it’ll definitely give you light—and it can be purchased in as small and variable quantities as a family’s finances allow. But there’s a reason we kicked kerosene to the curb as soon as we got our hands on light bulbs. Besides filling a home with toxic fumes that can cause serious health issues over time, kerosene is surprisingly expensive—especially in rural areas where it’s needed most. A 2012 World Bank report found that rural households in five Sub-Saharan countries paid on average 35 percent more for kerosene than their urban counterparts.