PAY-AS-YOU-GO MODELS

INNOVATION LANDSCAPE BRIEF

© IRENA 2020

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ISBN 978-92-9260-177-5

Citation: IRENA (2020), Innovation landscape brief: Pay-as-you-go models,

International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi.

ABOUT IRENA
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countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future and serves as the principal platform for
international co-operation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and
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wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon
economic growth and prosperity. www.irena.org

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report was prepared by the Innovation team at IRENA’s Innovation and Technology Centre (IITC) and was
authored by Alessandra Salgado, Arina Anisie and Francisco Boshell, with additional contributions and support from
Harsh Kanani and Anusha Rajagopalan (KPMG India).

Valuable review was provided by Asger Trier Bing (M-PAYG) and Philipp Trotter (University of Oxford), along with
Simon Benmarraze, Elena Ocenic, Nina Litman-Roventa and Paul Komor (IRENA).

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to technical discussions on the promotion of renewable energy.
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1  HOW IT WORKS
 
2 BENEFITS
An energy service provider rents or sells ➜ Improve energy access in off-grid areas
solar PV systems in exchange for regular
payments through mobile payment systems. ➜ Defer network expansion investments
In cases of non-payment, the service provider
can remotely disconnect the service. ➜ Enable other innovative business models,
such as peer-to-peer trading or community
ownership

3 KEY ENABLING FACTORS 4 SNAPSHOT

Electrification strategy that accounts ➜ Between 2015 and 2020, around 8 million
for pay-as-you-go (PAYG) and off-grid people gained energy access with PAYG models
systems
➜ About two-thirds of the world's off-grid energy
Consumer awareness of PAYG models consumers have access to mobile networks
➜ Almost 40 million off-grid solar systems
Access to finance for local energy were sold globally by 2019
service providers

What are PAYG models?

The package usually includes a home solar system that customers pay
for using mobile payment technologies and mobile phone credit.

PAY-AS-YOU-GO MODELS
PAYG can provide affordable energy access from renewable sources to off-grid
communities, using available technologies to facilitate payment by installments.
 I N N OVAT I O N L A N DS C A P E B R I E F

ABOUT THIS BRIEF

T his brief forms part of the IRENA project

“Innovation landscape for a renewable-
powered future”, which maps the relevant
innovations to create actual solutions. Solutions
to drive the uptake of solar and wind power span
four broad dimensions of innovation: enabling
innovations, identifies the synergies and formulates technologies, business models, market design
solutions for integrating high shares of variable and system operation.
renewable energy (VRE) into power systems.
Along with the synthesis report, the project
The synthesis report, “Innovation landscape for a includes a series of briefs, each covering one of
renewable-powered future: Solutions to integrate 30 key innovations identified across those four
variable renewables” (IRENA, 2019a), illustrates dimensions. The 30 innovations are listed in the
the need for synergies between different figure below.

INNOVATION DIMENSIONS

ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES BUSINESS MODELS MARKET DESIGN SYSTEM OPERATION

1 Utility scale batteries 12 Aggregators 17 Increasing time 25 Future role of distribution

2 Behind-the-meter 13 Peer-to-peer electricity granularity in electricity system operators
batteries trading markets 26 Co-operation between
14 Energy-as-a-service 18 Increasing space transmission and
3 Electric-vehicle
granularity in electricity distribution system
smart charging 15 Community-ownership
markets operators
4 Renewable models
19 Innovative ancillary
power-to-heat 16 Pay-as-you-go models
services
27 Advanced forecasting
5 Renewable 20 Re-designing capacity
of variable renewable
power-to-hydrogen power generation
markets
21 Regional markets 28 Innovative operation
6 Internet of Things
of pumped hydropower
7 Artificial intelligence
22 storage
and big data 23 Market integration
8 Blockchain of distributed energy 29 Virtual power lines
resources 30 Dynamic line rating
9 Renewable mini-grids
10 Supergrids 24 Net billing schemes

11 Flexibility in conventional
power plants

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 PAY-A S -YO U - G O M O D E L S

This brief provides an overview of the concept of 

pay-as-you-go (PAYG) and its role in increasing The brief is structured as follows:
the share of renewable energy sources in the
power sector. This brief describes how the PAYG I Description
model can improve the access of end consumers
to power supply (energy access) using renewable II Contribution to power sector transformation
energy sources through technology-enabled
payment systems. III Key factors to enable deployment

IV Current status and examples of ongoing

initiatives

V Implementation requirements: Checklist



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 I N N OVAT I O N L A N DS C A P E B R I E F

I. DESCRIPTION

Nearly 840 million people worldwide do not have Although thus far used mostly for solar energy.
access to electricity, and over 1 billion people are The PAYG model can also deliver electricity
connected to an unreliable grid (Lighting Global, from other renewable energy sources, such as
GOGLA and ESMAP, 2020). As the unserved biomass. In this brief, the PAYG model is mainly
population is not connected to the main grid, discussed in the context of solar energy. The core
extending the grid is an integral part of providing components of a solar home system, based on
those populations with energy access. However, the PAYG business model, are as follows (see also
extending the grid involves significant capital Figure 1):
outlay and long lead times for the construction of
new infrastructure. An alternative to grid extension (i) Solar PV power plant (modules, inverter,
is power from distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) cables, etc.)
systems. The decreasing costs of such systems
represent an opportunity for these communities (ii) Battery storage system (optional)
to gain electricity access without the need for
grid extension. However, making the upfront (iii) Mobile payment system
investments necessary to set up distributed
renewable energy systems to satisfy electricity (iv) Information and communications technology,
demand and improve supply reliability remains a with control units providing
difficult undertaking in many areas, particularly
rural communities. Also, as of 2017, an estimated • information on the charge left in batteries
1.7 billion people around the world still do not • weather forecasts
have access to a conventional bank account or • payment reminders
financial network (Mastercard, 2019).
(v) Power-consuming appliances, like LED bulbs
The PAYG business model is an innovation or mobile phones (plus phone-charging
that emerged to address the energy access cables)
challenge and to provide electricity generated
from renewable energy sources at affordable In such a configuration, a distributed solar PV
prices, with payments facilitated by technologies power plant, along with a battery storage system,
available in these areas. Widespread use of mobile can be used for lighting and for powering (or
payment technologies, rich solar resources and charging) other electrical appliances, such as
declining solar PV and battery costs, coupled televisions, radios and mobile phones.
with increased awareness of these technologies,
have been key drivers in the implementation of Energy service providers (ESPs) have so far
this business model. Also, increasing numbers been offering PAYG packages with power supply
of companies offer PAYG systems, and high services that range from very basic power supply,
competition in this field pushes prices for including just lighting and phone charging (Tier 1),
consumers even lower. to more comprehensive packages, including the

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 PAY-A S -YO U - G O M O D E L S

possibility to power multiple home appliances MBOX, the company is offering other “boxes”
(Tier 3); see Figure 2. For example, Solar Run, for the entire energy access spectrum (Solar
an ESP that operates in Kenya, launched in Run, 2020). PAYG models could potentially offer
September 2019 the “MBOX”, which can power services for Tier 4 and Tier 5, possibly combined
several bulbs, a high-definition television and a with appliance finance. However, so far, PAYG
pedestal fan together for up to ten hours. Besides packages cover Tiers 1–3.

Figure 1 Components of a PAYG system

Figure 2 Energy access tiers

ENERGISED POWER AVAILABILITY SERVICES EXAMPLE OF

CAPACITY APPLIANCES
CONNECTED
4 lights, phone,
800 W < Min 16 h & 23h radio, TV, TIER 4 & 5
electricity/day sewing machine
Work
800 W
Pay-as-you-go systems

Min. 8 hours of Tier 2 + any medium 4 lights, phone,

200 W – 800 W TIER 3
electricity/day power appliances radio, TV

General lighting +
Min. 4 hours of phone charging +
50 W – 200 W 4 lights, phone, TIER 2
electricity/day Television +
radio
Media Fan (if needed)
50 W
Home 3 W – 50 W
Min. 4 hours of Task lighting +
2 lights, phone TIER 1
10 W electricity/day phone charging
Light
3W
0 0 TIER 0

DISCONNECTED

Based on: ESMAP (2015).

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 I N N OVAT I O N L A N DS C A P E B R I E F

Other ESPs offer different variations that are The customer loads money onto a prepaid
commonly grouped as “PAYG models” in energy meter and can use the amount of electricity
access debates, using a combination of payment that corresponds to the amount of money
rules and ownership and financing schemes. ESPs paid. Once the period lapses, the solar PV
can provide either a “lease-to-own” model or a system is turned off by the ESP automatically
“usage-based payment” model. through a remotely managed control system
until the next payment is made. Unlike the
• Lease-to-own model, also referred to as the lease-to-own model, the customer never owns
“consumer finance retail” model, involves the system but only consumes the electricity
customers paying for the entire generation generated. Despite being used mostly in
capacity (i.e. solar home system) in small the context of solar PV systems, the PAYG
instalments over a period of one to three years. usage-based payment model can be used for
A small solar PV system capable of powering any type of system, including grid-supplied
light bulbs and small appliances, such as radios, electricity.
and of charging mobile phones is priced at
approximately USD 150. These systems are The payments are usually made via mobile credit,
usually paid for in instalments over 6 to 24 by sending a text message. The systems can
months. Solar PV systems with batteries that can feature a remote monitoring system that can be
power major appliances that need uninterrupted activated via mobile network connection. There
supply (e.g. refrigerators) can cost up to are PAYG solar home systems without remote
USD 1 000. This can be repaid by customers monitoring systems, but they still have a SIM card
in instalments over 6 months to three years. built in to allow ESPs to shut them down remotely
Over 90% of solar PV systems operate using if payments stop. Some ESPs equip their systems
the lease-to-own model (Sotiriou et al., 2018). with a GPS tracker to be able to locate the system
If a customer consistently fails to pay the daily, anytime. Systems that do not have connectivity to
weekly or monthly rates, the ESP will go to the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)
customer’s house and remove the systems. are controlled by a simple timer that functions
according to the payment code introduced by
• Usage-based payment model, or the “micro the consumer after the payment has been made.
utility” model, involves customers prepaying Figure 3 shows a schematic model of the PAYG
for the electricity supply (in kilowatt-hours). usage-based payment concept.

Figure 3 PAYG concept

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Installation of solar Energy service Consumers make Energy service Customer enters the
home system provider sends payment payments using provider confirms code into the PAYG
reminder to customer mobile money receipt of payment home system
through SMS and sends a
unique code

7. 6.
Electricity supply is System is unlocked
cut off once the and electricity supply
payment expires, and an is kept on for the
SMS reminder is prepaid number
again sent to the of days
customer
Based on: Energypedia (n.d.).

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 PAY-A S -YO U - G O M O D E L S

PAYG models can be implemented both at the End users buy prepaid scratch cards from local
individual household level and at the broader vendors according to their needs and available
community or neighbourhood level. PAYG systems budget. Each card contains a code that, when sent
can also be implemented as a micro-grid solution, by text message to the ESP via a payment server,
where a solar PV system with battery storage credits a smart meter located inside the premises
is used to provide electricity supply services to of the solar PV power plant, which controls the
a small community. For example, SharedSolar, electricity flow to individual end users. The smart
a PAYG mini-grids developer in sub-Saharan meter monitors usage until the customer’s credit
Africa, uses solar PV panels with a 1.4 kilowatt is exhausted, at which point the circuit is switched
(kW) generating capacity and a 16.8 kilowatt- off until more credit is added (Theron, 2018).
hour (kWh) battery storage system to provide
electricity for 20 customers, including households, The roles of different players involved in providing
small schools and businesses within a 100 metre renewable power supply via the PAYG business
radius via underground cables. model are provided in Table 1.

Table 1 Roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in the PAYG business model

Player Role and responsibilities Technical requirements

Energy service • Providing the solar home system components To secure financing, the solar home
provider (usually ordered from Chinese manufacturers), system should meet the specifications
and services, such as installation of the system, listed by the financing agency. For
operation and maintenance to ensure connectivity instance, the World Bank’s Lighting Global
to customers requires that the peak power rating of
the power module should be less than
• Collecting payments from customers
or equal to 350 watts and the maximum
• Acquiring monitoring systems from software power point voltage and working voltage
companies or developing them in house of components should not be over
35 volts DC (Lighting Global, 2017).
• Training local residents as field agents to provide
sales, operation and maintenance services
• For higher tier systems, providing basic training to
customers on how to use the appliances

Mobile network • Providing machine-to-machine technology, Mobile network coverage.

operators enabling remote monitoring of solar home systems
• Providing mobile services to enable payments

Financiers • Providing funding to the energy service providers Development of technical requirements
for installing solar home systems to ensure the high quality of funded solar
home systems and the reliability of the
power supplied.

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 I N N OVAT I O N L A N DS C A P E B R I E F

II. CONTRIBUTION TO POWER

SECTOR TRANSFORMATION

T he PAYG business model can be instrumental

in improving energy access for unserved or
underserved consumers. Also, the model can
Figure 4 highlights some key benefits that the
PAYG model can address using renewable
energy resources. Additional benefits that can
help governments achieve targets for electricity be provided by PAYG to various stakeholders
access and defer the need to deploy expensive are further illustrated.
transmission and distribution grid infrastructure.

Figure 4 Contribution of PAYG to power sector transformation

Improveing energy access with

distributed solar PV systems

Deferring network
expansion investments

Pay-as-you-go
models
Enabling other innovative
business models

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 PAY-A S -YO U - G O M O D E L S

Improving energy access with Between 2015 and 2020, around 8 million people
distributed solar PV systems gained energy access with PAYG models (Lighting
Global, GOGLA and ESMAP, 2020). M-KOPA,
The key contribution of the PAYG business model an ESP in Africa, provides solar home systems
to power sector transformation is that the model capable of providing lighting, charging phones
improves the energy access of communities in and powering appliances such as televisions to
areas with abundant solar irradiance that either off-grid consumers in rural Kenya and Uganda.
rely on fossil fuels for their energy needs or As of 2018, the company has provided electricity
have limited (or no) access to energy. The PAYG access to over 600 000 homes in these regions
business model enables the increased penetration (M-KOPA, 2018). Other such examples are
of distributed energy resources by making use provided in Section IV.
of the mobile payment methods accessible to
communities in these regions. Deferring network expansion
investments
For example, this model enables customers
living in off-grid regions to transition away PAYG models can defer network expansion
from fossil fuel-based energy sources, such as investments while allowing governments to
kerosene or diesel generators, to solar energy. achieve electrification goals that are essential
From the customer point of view, the PAYG for achieving other development goals.
business model is similar to that used for diesel Several rural regions in Africa and Asia are not
generators, as PAYG models spread the system’s connected to the grid, primarily because of the
cost over a longer period of time, similar to the significant capital outlay involved in setting up
regular payments customers need to make to transmission and distribution grid infrastructure
buy diesel. to serve these regions. For instance, in the
case of Rwanda, a country with 20% electricity
For consumers in unserved or underserved regions, access in 2017, a traditional power network
a solar PV system is a cost-effective solution when would have cost over USD 20 billion to build
compared with kerosene or diesel. One study (Hauser, 2017), while the country’s gross
quantified that households with solar lighting save domestic product in 2017 was USD 9.1 billion
on average over USD 60 per year and spend only (World Bank, 2019).
2% of their income on lighting compared with
spending 10% of their income for just four hours Providing grid-connected electricity to everyone
per day of illumination using kerosene, candle or living in remote areas, therefore, is not always
torch-light (Harrison, Scott and Hogarth, 2016). economically feasible. The PAYG model provides
Also, solar PV systems can provide a reliable and access to electricity to consumers in remote
uninterrupted source of energy when coupled areas using a distributed power generation
with battery storage systems. system and hence helps the government achieve
electrification goals with optimal investment
In 2017, off-grid solar products, including solar in grid networks and renewable generation
home systems enabled by PAYG models, provided sources.
improved energy access to 83.7 million people
globally (GOGLA and Lighting Global, 2017).

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 I N N OVAT I O N L A N DS C A P E B R I E F

Enabling other innovative Additional benefits of PAYG model

business models
Energy access leads to improved livelihoods and
PAYG business models can be extended to other socio-economic benefits. Energy access
implement other technology-enabled business enables customers to set up small businesses.
models that will lead to an increase in renewable A solar PV system can enable a mobile charging
energy integration. Multiple solar PV systems can business, power a computer for digital business
be connected to form a micro-grid, which can or power a refrigerator to store cold food (IFC,
further enable peer-to-peer energy trading. The 2017). These businesses provide an additional
excess energy produced can be traded with other source of income to the solar PV owners and
consumers within the same community in exchange could exceed the costs of the solar PV system
for a fee. Such systems can generate an additional (GNESD, 2016). Furthermore, PAYG models for
source of revenue for consumers with solar PV solar systems have been used to power drip
systems. For instance, Bangladesh’s SOLshare irrigation and crop processing instead of more
has built a peer-to-peer trading network using expensive diesel generators. Therefore, such
PAYG solar home systems for off-grid households. productive uses of renewable power have also
SOLshare’s PAYG solar home systems include a contributed to higher income for farmers in rural
“smart” (i.e. bi-directional) meter, which enables areas (Nussey, 2017).
the home system to contribute to a micro-grid
that can serve other houses in the neighbourhood Owners of solar home systems increase their
(SOLshare, 2019). For more information, see incomes, on average, by up to USD 35 per month. In
Innovation landscape brief: Peer-to-peer electricity addition, data show that children spend more time
trading [IRENA, 2020a]. doing homework in the evenings in certain contexts.
To date, the ESP Azuri has created over 2 000 new
When the PAYG model is implemented at a wider jobs through its Kenyan partner companies, which
community level, community-ownership business hire staff to sell, support and maintain solar home
models emerge as well. For more information, systems (Azuri Technologies, 2018).
see Innovation landscape brief: Community-
ownership models [IRENA, 2020b]. In addition, the payment data gathered through
PAYG models can be analysed to assess the
creditworthiness of a specific customer, which can
then be used to upgrade to a larger solar PV system
or secure further financing for other activities.

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 PAY-A S -YO U - G O M O D E L S

III. KEY FACTORS TO

ENABLE DEPLOYMENT

Develop electrification strategy Regulations related to remuneration (e.g. feed-

that accounts for renewable off-grid in tariffs) should be developed to enable the
systems and policies incentivising development of micro-grids and mini-grids for
PAYG business models consumers who live in off-grid regions. This would
allow consumers to earn money by supplying
First, governments need to define their energy to the micro-grid through their solar
electrification strategy and their energy access PV systems (Muok, Makokha and Palit, 2015).
goals, such as the types of energy access to Kenya’s initial feed-in tariff policy only included
be fostered in their countries. Many low-income the contribution of biomass, geothermal and
countries still do not value off-grid electricity hydro sources to the national grid. With increasing
resources as much as they do on-grid, even solar energy generation, Kenya’s Ministry of
though the latter may not be economically feasible Energy updated the policy to include solar power
(Ma and Urpelainen, 2018). Policy makers could contribution to mini-grids at USD 0.2/kWh. In
consider developing and coherently implementing 2012, Kenya implemented the Energy Solar
long-term, integrated electrification plans that Photovoltaic Systems Regulations, which specify
combine off-grid and on-grid resources. In the standards for quality and business practices in
case of Uganda, as study has challenged the the solar energy sector. The regulations cover
Ugandan government’s focus on nuclear energy quality standards for solar systems and licensing
and grid-based household electrification, showing requirements for manufacturers, importers,
that focusing on off-grid electrification for the vendors and technicians involved in the solar PV
majority of household connections by 2040 could value chain (Tigabu et al., 2017).
cover even the high-demand scenario (Trotter,
Cooper and Wilson, 2019). Indirect subsidies for kerosene had led to its use
in lighting in many countries. The removal of such
Once a clear electrification strategy is established, subsidies, and the addition of value-added tax and
a range of policy instruments are available to excise duties for kerosene, will further increase
encourage off-grid systems deployment and the attractiveness of PAYG solar systems. The
PAYG models. Governments can support the government of Tanzania, for instance, removed
off-grid solar market by developing policies all indirect subsidies for kerosene in 2011, which
and regulations that formalise such off-grid helped increase the adoption of solar energy
arrangements and by issuing relevant permits systems instead of kerosene lighting (Harrison,
and licences for service providers, such as mobile Scott and Hogarth, 2016).
wallet operators1 (Wakeford, 2018). For ESPs to
offer the solar PV system on credit to customers, Last but not least, as PAYG business models
there is a need for regulations that govern the are driven by private sector entrepreneurs,
financial risk assessment and specify norms for programmes for local energy entrepreneurs need
setting the instalment schedule. to be established, as local companies would know

1 Mobile wallet operators allow users to deposit money into their mobile account, which can be accessed from their mobile device.
Customers can make payments to service providers using secure text messages from their mobile device.

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 I N N OVAT I O N L A N DS C A P E B R I E F

better than international companies how to reach The cost of raising capital is a critical factor and
off-grid areas. In addition, local companies are can decide the competitiveness of a company’s
often very creative in combining energy with local PAYG model.
needs. Entrepreneurship in this space refers not
only to ESPs but also to IT companies providing Low-cost financing from governments or
monitoring, control or forecasting services. development financing institutions is required in
the early stage of business, when low-risk finance
Raise consumer awareness is key. For instance, UK development finance
of PAYG models institution CDC Group provided USD 20 million in
debt as part of a syndicate of lenders for PAYG
Consumer awareness is a key enabling factor system provider M-KOPA in Africa. Prior to this,
for PAYG models. Digital literacy and usage of CDC Group had also invested USD 12 million
mobile money have been the key drivers for in equity in M-KOPA (CDC Group, 2017). As an
the growth of PAYG business models in Africa. alternative to low-cost financing, governments
To increase awareness among consumers and can also explore financing models such as debt
generate sales, ESPs should (i) invest in active on- facility, which can be repaid over an extended
ground teams that provide last-mile connectivity period of time.
to reach consumers, (ii) use local governance
structure and (iii) engage communities in their However, in some areas, especially where ESPs
energy choices. For instance, Azuri Technologies offer a higher tier PAYG system, the ideal case
partners with local organisations with expertise in would be that the income generation becomes
last-mile distribution. Azuri provides training to high enough to finance the system. Once this
representatives from the local organisation, who equilibrium is reached, the scheme practically
in turn reach out to customers. The company has scales by itself.
also developed a cloud-based information system
to resolve any queries a local agent may have. The When international funds are available, foreign
company has trained over 2 000 staff members, private sector involvement and large-scale
who have helped sell 130 000 solar home systems international initiatives are a significant part of
in Kenya (Azuri Technologies, 2017). securing these funds. While acknowledging the
positive impact of the foreign know-how that
Improve access to finance comes when foreign companies play a larger role
for local ESPs in the private sector activity of these regions,
a study points out several social, economic
The PAYG business model requires upfront funding and environmental issues coupled with this
to build the solar PV systems and to deliver them mechanism. These issues include the focus on
to consumers. The costs for an ESP increase creating market opportunities for international
significantly with a growing consumer base, as rather than domestic companies; the risk of
the number of outstanding loans continues to increased aid dependency; the difficulty of
increase because customers only pay a small delivering large-scale rural electrification through
upfront payment. As an ESP’s loan portfolio a market-based approach; economic inefficiencies
becomes too risky, different sources of funding of current aid spending; transparency issues; and
are required at various stages (KPMG, 2015). the difficulty of tackling complex, country-specific
Typically, in the very early financing stage, these issues with continental electrification initiatives
companies require less than USD 1 million (mostly (Trotter and Abdullah, 2018).
equity funding) to invest in the business planning
process. In the early stage, ESPs typically seek Besides cost of capital, solar home system
USD 3–5 million in equity for the implementation suppliers are also vulnerable to volatility in foreign
of a pilot project and market entry. Company exchange if they raise finance in US dollars or
expansion was expected to require between euros but receive revenues in the local currency.
USD 10 million and USD 20 million through Therefore, fluctuations in local currency will have
equity and USD debt finance, with as much as a significant impact on an ESP’s balance sheet
USD 50 –100 million in debt finance for further (Kendall and Pais, 2018). Local governments
scale-up (Orlandi et al., 2016). and local banks can provide solutions to hedge
against such foreign exchange risk to ensure a
favourable business environment.

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 PAY-A S -YO U - G O M O D E L S

IV. CURRENT STATUS AND

EXAMPLES OF ONGOING
INITIATIVES

T he option of PAYG provided affordable solar

power to over 8 million people in sub-Saharan
Africa between 2013 and 2018 (Sotiriou et al.,
Figure 5 illustrates the global growth in sales of
off-grid solar systems, which include PAYG model
solar home systems. Overall, sales volumes have
2018). PAYG models have been also implemented in been on an upward trajectory since 2010, with
off-grid locations in South Asia and Latin America. annual growth rates of 133% between 2010 and
In 2016, global off-grid solar installations (including 2015. The industry saw decline in sales leading
PAYG systems and standalone solar devices, such up to 2017 due to localised shocks in key product
as solar lamps) totalled 34 megawatts (MW), and markets and companies, as well as adaptations to
they grew by over 19% to 40.6 MW by the end sector-wide trends. Since then, growth in annual
of 2017 (GOGLA and Lighting Global, 2018). The unit sales has stabilised to 10%, showing signs of
entry-level solar home systems, used for providing a maturing market (Lighting Global, GOGLA and
basic lighting and mobile phone charging, account ESMAP, 2020). Key indicators related to the PAYG
for nearly 36% of the total volume of systems sold.2 model are listed in Table 2.

Figure 5 Growth in sales of off-grid solar products

40 10%
-2%
35

30
Total unit sales (in millions)

25
79

20

15

10
%
5 245

0
t.
10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

es
20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

19
20

Based on: Lighting Global, GOGLA and ESMAP (2020).

2 The data only include sales reported by the affiliates of Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), part of the World Bank’s
Lighting Global Program.

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Table 2 Key indicators

Description Key facts

PAYG solar system sales by location East Africa: 730 000 units

(2016)a West Africa: 30 000 units
Latin America: 10 000 units
South Asia: 20 000 units

People who gained energy access Around 8 million (2015–2020)

with PAYG modelsb

Market potential 772 million or ~64% of off-grid consumers have access to mobile networks
(2016)a

Total value of investments made in >USD 770 million (2012–2017)c

PAYG solar companies

Number of companies selling 52 (non- exhaustive best estimates for 2017)c

PAYG-based solar home systems

Leading PAYG solar providers Azuri, BBOXX, d.light, Fenix, M-KOPA and Off-Grid Electric.
These six companies account for 90% of solar home systems soldd

Per day cost of PAYG solar home ~USD 0.25f to USD 0.5g

systemse
The costs vary by the company selling the PAYG solar home system,
the size of the system and the terms of the payment plan.

Total price of solar home systems 4–25 W solar panel, li-ion battery: USD 100 to 250
(can power LED lights, radio and mobile phone charger)
30–200 W solar panel, lead acid battery: USD 150 to 1 000
(can power LED lights, radio, fan, television and refrigerator)h

Extensions to PAYG business model Add-on products offered by solar providers with PAYG models:
• Insurance products: PAYG solar companies are partnering with insurance
providers to offer their customers insurance for hospitalisation to ensure
that the customers’ medical expenses do not impact timely payments for
their solar home systems. PEG Africa, a PAYG solar provider focused on
West Africa, has partnered with Prudential to offer such services and has
seen improvements in its repayment rates.i
• Education loans: Fenix International, a PAYG solar provider in Uganda,
provides some of its customers with education loans to pay school fees.
The company uses its customers’ payment history to evaluate their
creditworthiness and offers such assistance to qualifying customers.j

a
 GSMA (2017a).
b
 Lighting Global, GOGLA and World Bank (2020).
c
 Dalberg Advisors and Lighting Global (2018).
d
 Sotiriou et al. (2018).
e
 These do not include any upfront payment.
f
 Based on Nigeria, for powering LED lights, fan, mobile phone charging and radio (Gridless Africa, 2017).
g
 M-KOPA’s per day rate in Kenya, excludes upfront cost of USD 35 (Lynch, 2015).
h
 Winiecki and Kumar (2014).
i
 Ola (2017).
j
 Mastercard (2018).

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Table 3 PAYG case studies

Case study Operation area Description

Angaza India, Kenya, Malawi, Based in San Francisco and Nairobi, Angaza has helped consumers
Nicaragua, Pakistan, in emerging markets save over USD 100 million by switching from
Sierra Leone, South kerosene to clean, renewable energy. Over 5 million people in
Africa and Uganda emerging markets across the globe have benefited from Angaza’s
technology by accessing life-changing products that save money,
increase incomes, improve household health and increase quality of
life (Angaza, 2020).

BBOXX 12 countries, including London-based off-grid solar company BBOXX secured another
Democratic Republic USD 50 million for its African and Asian operators in 2019. BBOXX
of the Congo, Kenya, installs a solar panel that can power up to five lights, a television,
Pakistan, Rwanda and a radio, a torch or a 12 V battery (Hall, 2019).
Togo

Claro Energy India Claro Energy has built a PAYG irrigation service using solar panels.
The company has built e-rickshaws with solar panels, which can be
used in farms in remote villages to power water pumps on a PAYG
basis (Claro Energy, n.d.). The on-demand irrigation system helps
farmers save over 50% in energy costs by replacing diesel.

d.light Kenya D.light, a United States-based company, developed a PAYG solar

system that can provide lighting, charge mobile phones and power
radios. The customers make a down payment of USD 25 and then
make daily payments of USD 0.40 for a year, after which the customer
owns the system (Maisch, 2017). Since its launch in October 2016,
the company has sold over 120 000 systems.

ENGIE Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, ENGIE’s subsidiary, Fenix International, provides access to energy
Kenya, Mozambique, via PAYG solar home systems to more than 500 000 customers in
Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Mozambique.
Tanzania, Uganda and Additionally, with ENGIE PowerCorner, ENGIE supplies electricity
Zambia to rural populations in villages across Tanzania and Zambia through
smart mini-grids powered by solar energy and battery storage,
used by households, local businesses and public services. All of these
services are enabled by digital financial solutions such as mobile
money and PAYG technologies.

Greenlight Planet Kenya, Nigeria, Greenlight Planet has installed nearly 6 million solar products, benefiting
Tanzania and Uganda over 24 million people, across sub-Saharan Africa. Ninety percent of the
PAYG customers make roughly 60 mobile money payments between
USD 2 and USD 5 each over a period of 12 to 24 months to complete
their instalment payment plans for the solar device. The company has
processed nearly 40 million mobile money payments from customers in
Africa in the last three years (Greenlight Planet, 2019).

Husk Power Systems India Husk Power Systems, based in Bihar, India, has built a low-cost
power plant and distribution network using biomass gasification and
solar energy to provide electricity to off-grid consumers in India.
The company uses smart meters and mobile payments to provide
energy services using the PAYG model (Husk, 2017). Husk currently
operates 75 mini-grids with a total capacity of 1.75 MW and plans
to expand it to 30 MW by 2022.

M-KOPA Kenya and Uganda M-KOPA provides solar home systems capable of providing lighting,
charging phones and powering appliances, such as televisions, to off-
grid consumers in rural Kenya and Uganda. The company has provided
electricity access to over 600 000 homes in these regions (M-KOPA, 2018).

PowerMundo Peru PowerMundo, along with I-DEV International, provided electricity

access to off-grid consumers in the Peruvian Amazon using PAYG
business models and mobile payments. PowerMundo sells solar home
systems along with small appliances such as solar lamps and radios. In
its trial phase, from June 2016 to March 2017, the programme reached
825 customers and resulted in average monthly savings of USD 41
(~15% of household income in the region) (Chouan, 2017).

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V. IMPLEMENTATION
REQUIREMENTS: CHECKLIST

Hardware:
• Distributed energy sources, such as a solar PV system and battery storage
TECHNICAL
• Smart and prepaid meters connected to a server to enable payments through mobile money,
REQUIREMENTS
monitoring of consumption per payment cycle and remote control of the electricity supply
• Power-consuming devices, such as light bulbs, mobile chargers and other small appliances
(e.g. televisions, fans)
• Mobile phones and mobile network infrastructure to enable mobile payments

Information and communications technology systems:

• Mobile payment gateways
• Cloud-based software for remote monitoring and control of off-grid energy systems

POLICIES NEEDED

• Clear roadmaps, strategies and targets for providing energy access to unserved populations
• Supportive policies facilitating the funding process for distributed energy system providers,
such as solar home system providers
• Reduction of import duties for solar home systems

REGULATORY
REQUIREMENTS

• A regulatory framework for the off-grid energy market that specifies service requirements
• Regulations determining the remuneration schemes in line with consumer needs
• Issuance of permits or licences for mobile payment providers

Energy service providers:

• Provide the solar home system components as well as services such as installation, operation and
STAKEHOLDER maintenance of the system to ensure connectivity to customers
ROLES AND
• Collect payments from customers
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Train local residents as field agents for sales as well as operation and maintenance services
• Create awareness among the population about PAYG solutions for solar home systems
• Communicate clearly about the PAYG pricing methods provided
• Offer to replace faulty equipment and recycle the system at the end of its techno-economic lifetime

Policy makers:
• Consider renewable-based off-grid systems in energy planning and strategy to reach electrification goals
• Incentivise renewable-based off-grid systems for energy access
• Provide solutions to minimise foreign exchange risk for providers of distributed renewable energy
systems, such as solar home systems
• Ensure that energy service providers offer quality services and equipment to consumers

Consumers:
• Adopt PAYG models for energy access or improved access to electricity in remote areas
unconnected to the main power grid
• Pay for the power supply and the related services according to the terms and conditions agreed

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ABBREVIATIONS

BESP energy service provider kWh kilowatt-hour

GOGLA Global Off-Grid Lighting Association MW megawatt

GSM Global System for Mobile PAYG pay-as-you-go

Communications
PV photovoltaic
kW kilowatt

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INNOVATION LANDSCAPE BRIEF

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