If you live off grid, solar TV is here for you
Ms Lois Athiany 65, from Kobila Location in Homa Bay County is assisted to raise an antenna for her solar powered digital TV set on August 17, 2016. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Zuku TV and Azuri Technologies launched the package, which includes solar home power, a 24-inch TV and satellite dish, on December 15. The solar home system also comes with four lights, a mobile phone charging system and a rechargeable, portable radio.
- According to a Kenya digital TV forecast report, the country’s television penetration stood at only 38.2 per cent last year, with free-to-air broadcasting still the primary access method.
Kenyans living off-grid can now buy solar-powered television sets after two firms launched a pay-as-you-go satellite TV package.
Zuku TV and Azuri Technologies launched the package, which includes solar home power, a 24-inch TV and satellite dish, on December 15. The solar home system also comes with four lights, a mobile phone charging system and a rechargeable, portable radio.
The package costs Sh149 a day but a consumer can own it after paying for two years. However, they will continue to pay for the satellite service. The service is currently available in selected parts of central Kenya but will be rolled out to other parts of the country beginning next month.
Customers top-up via mobile money, allowing them to use the system as much as they want for the credit period.
“The product addresses three key hurdles faced by rural off-grid consumers to being able to watch TV - access to power, service coverage and the high upfront cost of the installation,” Mr Simon Bransfield-Garth, Azuri Technologies chief executive officer, said.
“Solar power has made huge strides. Just a few years ago, a small solar light was new technology. Today, we are providing a TV and service provision that would not look out of place in any major city in the world,” he added.
According to a Kenya digital TV forecast report, the country’s television penetration stood at only 38.2 per cent last year, with free-to-air broadcasting still the primary access method. Meanwhile, it forecast that digital TV with pay TV penetration would rise from 38.2 per cent in 2015 to 51.7 per cent in 2021.
On the other hand, the off-grid solar market is rapidly advancing beyond just lighting and phone charging, with the Bloomberg 2016 report forecasting that around 15 million households will have a solar-powered television by 2020.
Mr Jay Chudasama, Zuku Satellite TV CEO, said the innovative approach will not only offer a revolutionary way to reach out to more than 5 million homes without electricity in Central Kenya, but also contribute greatly towards increasing television penetration in the country in general.
