INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
THE SIM’S ENHANCED
FEATURES ALSO ENABLE
SOLARNOW TO REMOTELY
AND SECURELY ACTIVATE,
PROVISION, AUTHENTICATE
AND CERTIFY DEPLOYED
DEVICES OVER-THE-AIR IN UP
TO 190 COUNTRIES.
capabilities of IoT,” added Potgieter. “This not only provides the
company with huge growth potential, but also adds a new level to its
customer service offering.”
SolarNow has also been able to improve further key elements of its
offering, such as analysing enhanced system data to communicate
with clients if there is an issue with their device, when payments are
due, or to issue a warning.
Jeremy Potgieter, SADC regional head
for Eseye
development resources. By adding AWS’ software tools and cloud,
SolarNow establishes the means to simply and quickly analyse data
and to scale instantly and securely on demand.
Solar as an energy source is becoming increasingly vital and viable
to off-grid populations in the East African region, in part to reduce
the widespread use of polluting and dangerous kerosene lamps, but
also to harness the significant economic, social and health benefits
reliable power sources provide. SolarNow addresses the unmet need
for sustainable quality solar energy in the region through the provision
of solar powered equipment, appliances and services to remote or off-
grid home, farm, school, health centre and business locations.
To make a deployment achievable, the company offers affordable
and flexible credit with every solution, a key feature in widening
access to solar energy in the African market.
Working with developers at SolarNow, Eseye also created software
and supplied a reference design, which the company could simply
copy onto the circuit board of the microprocessor, which sits on a
solar controller and manages SolarNow’s solutions.
“By taking a proven design and effectively copying it into its
devices, it has enabled SolarNow to move from a non-connected
to a connected product offering and to take full advantage of the
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INTELLIGENTCIO
By building a wider picture of the customer and understanding how
they use the system to develop product value and customer service,
the company has gained a new way of interacting with customers
through its solar solutions.
“By turning to cellular connectivity, SolarNow can further credit
provision, mostly through better insights into client behaviour,
making solar more accessible through affordable finance,” said
Peter Huisman, CTO at SolarNow.
“Using cellular connectivity also means the performance of the solar
system can be remotely monitored, ensuring a much better service
for customers.
“SolarNow believes that this new level of capability is another key
step in its continued mission to build the best relationships with its
customers. At the same time, global roaming capabilities alleviate any
concerns over connectivity, so the company can continue to drive the
growth of solar as a central energy source across East Africa.”
Potgieter added that SolarNow has fully exploited the tools to make
IoT easy, a move which is not only pivotal for the company’s future
growth, but also for the future of the customers it serves.
“The power of connected technology to solve issues and truly change
lives across Africa, by enabling service provision for even the most
remote or disempowered members of its communities, cannot be
underestimated,” said Potgieter. n
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