Across sub‑Saharan Africa, 565 million people still live without electricity, and progress towards universal access has stalled. Affordability remains one of the biggest barriers: most unelectrified households cannot pay the upfront cost of a solar home system, even with existing financing models.
To better understand potential solutions better, Energy Saving Trust, co-Secretariat of Efficiency for Access commissioned two complementary pieces of research exploring the viability of Energy as a Service (EaaS), a model designed to reduce upfront costs, match payments to household ability to pay, and guarantee long-term service. Greencroft Economics delivered the project.
The first report presents a mid-term review of SolarAid’s Light a Village (LaV) pilot in Malawi, which implemented EaaS for first-time energy access at community scale. The second will investigate the broader international potential of EaaS as a route to affordable household electrification across the region, where progress to date has been slowest.
Together, these reports offer an evidence base on how EaaS can support inclusive, sustainable electrification in low-income and hard‑to‑reach communities.
Lighting a Path to Affordability: Mid‑Term Review of SolarAid’s EaaS Pilot in Malawi
This research was commissioned under the Low Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) programme to independently evaluate SolarAid’s Light a Village (LaV) pilot, which implemented an Energy as a Service (EaaS) approach to deliver first‑time electricity access in rural Malawi.
The research assesses how the model was deployed across Kasakula, Malawi, where SolarAid connected 8,813 households to basic electricity access. It examines affordability, usage patterns, system performance and operational costs, offering practical insights for governments, donors and programme implementers seeking alternatives to traditional ownership-based models.
You can download the report here.
Lighting a Path to Affordability: Assessing the International Potential of Energy as a Service
This research was commissioned under the Low Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) programme to assess where and how Energy as a Service (EaaS) could provide a viable pathway to affordable, first‑time electricity access across Sub‑Saharan Africa. It will be published in mid-February.
Its purpose is to map enabling conditions for EaaS, including governance, financing structures, subsidy design and market readiness. The analysis examines the potential for EaaS to address affordability constraints, reach lower‑income households, and complement national electrification strategies.