Fenix launches off-grid power for developing world





The Fenix ReadySet with bike generator. Five minutes on the bike will supply enough to charge a mobile phone.






"This model is largely taking inspiration from the mobile market, which is independent, decentralized, and can be deployed quickly at massive scale," said Lin. Expecting the grid to reach villages of Kenya or Uganda, for example, is unrealistic because of the expense of the centralized model of power delivery.

Using a 15-watt solar panel, the ReadySet battery can be charged in a day. The bicycle generator, which can take advantage of the large number of bicycles in many countries, can produce enough to charge a phone in about five minutes.

These battery packs are not meant for sale to individual households, but for people who can earn income with them. In a pilot in Uganda, Fenix employees said a person could earn about $50 a month with a combination of selling phone charge time and reduced spending on kerosene fuel for lighting.

Fenix International

Right now, people use car and truck batteries, charge them from diesel generators or city mains, and get payment from people who need to charge a phone or other device. But car batteries often die out within a year from frequency deep discharge, explained vice president of operations Brian Warshawsky.

There are already off-grid solar products and back-up battery packs, but Fenix employees say they are too expensive and designed for back-up power.

Lin said that the ReadySet could be used by anybody who wants to attach a small solar panel and charge gadgets . But Fenix is targeting developing countries because of the huge and growing demand.

"We're essentially giving access to new energy options, particularly in frontier markets like India and up-and-coming markets like Kenya," he said. "Rather than try to make cheaper and cheaper products for poor people, the notion is: what if we design a product that may actually generate income?"


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