American Quality Illuminating Africa

Our first general consumer product was Firefly, a solar-powered lighting system. We built Firefly to perform in rugged environments across rural Africa. Long story short: Firefly endures.

 

In parts of rural Africa, many people don’t have electricity. Even in regions with grid access, electricity is often unreliable or unaffordable. What many of these areas do have is 12 solid hours of sunlight each day.

 

Enter solar power. In places with abundant sunlight and limited connectivity, solar is a practical and dependable alternative. We saw an opportunity – not just for renewable energy, but for human development in Africa. So we jumped at it.
 

 

Firefly combines robust construction

with reliable lighting capacity.

 

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And that’s exactly what the communities in Africa were asking for.

 

Recognizing a strong demand for electric lighting, not to mention the need for reliable cell phone charging stations, Genesis engineers got to work. Ultimately, we designed a tough, dependable lighting-and-device-charging tool for the African market: Firefly.

 

 

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Shortly after its successful launch, Firefly PayGo was designed to become an affordable pay-as-you-go fixture in rural communities across Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Unlike grid-based electricity, solar worked. And it allowed people to pursue activities they could never pursue before:

 

• Rural Ghanaians are illuminating local clinics throughout the night.

• Tanzanian children are completing homework after the sun goes down.

• Communities throughout the Congo River basin are in a better position to improve education, boost health outcomes, and pursue economic development.

 

In North America, these small luxuries are taken for granted. But for many African communities, they’re revolutionary.

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And it’s all thanks to reliable sources of clean

electricity, like solar.

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The experience of these African communities is eye-opening. Their success confirms that renewable energy holds incredible promise – and not just in the ways many of us expect.

 

For instance, we already know that solar has the potential to reduce our carbon footprint. That’s a great thing. But back then, who knew it could help people in the developing world diagnose illness? Who knew it could help children get a better education? Who knew it could improve public safety?

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At American Engineering Group, we are excited to lead the transformation.