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Pay as you go solar power makes energy cheaper

5 October 2011

�鶹��ý. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine. — Turn that sunshine into electricity
(Image: Tanja Giessler/Getty)

ROOFS adorned with solar panels are a sign of a well-off household in the western world, where installation fees can often run to five figures. Now a cellphone-based system could bring cheap solar power to sun-drenched regions of Kenya and other African countries.

So says Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO of solar energy firm Eight19, based in Cambridge, UK. The company has developed a pay-as-you-go solar power system called IndiGo, which consists of a low-cost, flexible plastic, 2.5-watt solar panel that charges a battery. This can be connected to a USB phone charger or…

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