The Challenge

Over 63 million Pakistanis live without access to the national energy grid. Kerosene is a major monthly expense for those in off-grid villages. Not only is kerosene expensive, it is also highly damaging to health and the environment. The increasing cost and reduced reliability of on-grid electricity and declining prices of solar solutions has increased interest in solar technologies. The key challenges in adoption are the upfront cost of solar, the low quality of equipment available, and the lack of an appropriate after-sales support infrastructure. As a result, most customers today are weary of investing in solar solutions given the lack of effective after-sales support and warranties.

The Innovation

SRE Solutions provides access to affordable, high quality solar products through its unique retail distribution network. The upfront payment and monthly installment for the micro-credit product brings solar solutions within an affordable range for these off-grid households. SRE reaches out to its off-grid market directly by employing local entrepreneurs, allowing them to maintain high quality customer care. The company offers replacement warranties for 1.5 years, which is not generally provided by the competition, as well as strong after-sales services to customers.