UK-based solar-power venture company Bboxx has launched its 2020 solar-powered off-grid home concept in Rwanda. The Bboxx Tomorrow’s Rural Home has a 50 W photovoltaic panel mounted on the roof and can be bought on a three-year payment plan.

The home was created by Bboxx and partners using sustainable building materials and design. It showcases Bboxx’s range of products and services designed to bring the on-grid experience in an off-grid location, according to the company.

The design caters for clean, affordable, reliable energy and is part of a pay-as-you-go solar energy system designed for households and microbusinesses. Bboxx has 50 000 solar home systems in place in Rwanda to date.

The design also includes additional services, such as affordable Internet services with Internet-enabled devices, liquid petroleum gas stoves and canisters, as well as biogas, which are also available on a pay-as-you-go basis.

The company designs, manufactures, distributes and finances solar systems to improve access to energy across Africa and the developing world. The rural home design is part of Bboxx’s vision on how new technologies can address needs, transform the lives of off-grid communities and power growth in rural Africa.

“Tomorrow’s Rural Home captures the aspiration of off-grid communities who want affordable utilities to improve their quality of life,” say Bboxx CEO and cofounder Mansoor Hamayun.

Additionally, a cloud-based task management platform helps distributed-service companies, including Bboxx, to manage customer service, predict when product maintenance will be required before faults occur and assist customers with upgrades as their needs grow or change.

“Each unit connects remotely to our central database to support automatic switch-off, predict repairs and assist upgrades,” Hamayun explains.

Bboxx is positively impacting on the lives of 750 000 people living in off-grid communities in Africa and Asia by providing clean, reliable and affordable solar electricity. The company recognises that electricity is the entry point to a broader range of products and services, as well as further economic development, Hamayun says.

“The rural home reflects our strategy to broaden from being a provider of solar home systems to a multi-utility company, transforming the lives of underserved households in the developing world. Our vision is to deliver a range of utility services.”

Meanwhile, Bboxx and French energy multinational EDF Group, which has a 50% stake in Bboxx’s operations in Togo, won a tender to provide electricity for 300 000 households without access to the Togo national grid.