Impact Spotlight
320 health centers equipped with solar panels, serving over 1,500 people
80% recycled materials used in each solar home system
81% of families report increased household income after switching to solar
About
For over 20 years, KOPPESDA has facilitated community empowerment projects that improve farmers' livelihoods and protect natural resources in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. East Nusa Tenggara is the southernmost province in Indonesia’s archipelago of over 17,000 named islands; there, over 600,000 households rely exclusively on kerosene, candles, and diesel for power and light.
Through KOPPESDA’s pay-as-you-go program, many of those families can purchase solar home systems on long-term contracts with small monthly repayments. Those payments don’t have to be cash; KOPPESDA accepts woven palm leaf bags, virgin coconut oil, bamboo poles, and other resources that are not easily sold in villages but are in demand from the sustainable tourism industry. In past years, KOPPESDA also accepted live chickens, but found that the non-cash payment structure is more effective when the form of payment cannot escape.
Access to free, unlimited light has been proven to transform economic opportunities for Indonesian families— KOPPESDA has already installed thousands of these solar home systems, and 80% of families from their earlier cohorts report an increase in monthly income, despite the addition of a small monthly payment for their systems.
“Non-cash payments are a brilliant way to broaden who can afford a Pay-As-You-Go system, and we’re interested in the potential for scalability in Indonesia and elsewhere in the world.”
HF Partnership
With the support of the Honnold Foundation, KOPPESDA and their partner Sumba Sustainable Solutions will install micro solar home systems built from salvaged electronic waste on 320 homes on the island of Sumba. Revenue from cash and non-cash payments will fund the conversion of 100 additional households each year.
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