ABSTRACT
Off-grid solar applications offer undeniable benefits: they are a safer, healthier, and cheaper alternative to kerosene or candles and also can lead to the direct and indirect creation of jobs. However, the rapidly increasing rate of off-grid solar system production highlights the need to create a system where those products and the resources that compose them are kept in use for as long as possible: a circular economy of off-grid solar applications.
This chapter explores the key drivers for adoption, business models currently being applied, and market penetration of off-grid solar applications and the opportunities created by these innovative models. The chapter then goes on to explore the end-of-life challenges for these products and the proactive approaches that are being taken to ensure that these valuable products, components, and materials are safely kept in use for longer. It builds on the results and insights of an ongoing pilot project financially supported by CDC Plus funding provided by UK Aid.
