Designing a sustainable business plan for an off-grid energy kiosk in Chalokwa, Zambia

KiloWatts for Humanity (KWH), formerly the Muhuru Bay Community Microgrid Project, developed an energy kiosk business model for a project site located in Chalokwa, Zambia. The Chalokwa business model was developed based on previous experiences in Muhuru Bay, Kenya and Filibaba, Zambia. These energy kiosks are designed to create sustainable, local energy businesses in locations that do not have access to an electrical grid. The model is based on a two-tiered approach of 1) providing the community with electrical services for businesses at a kiosk and 2) supplying the community with rent-to-own solar products to replace candles and kerosene lanterns and to charge cell phones and other batteries. Achieving the model includes selling energy kiosk services, rent-to-own tiered solar light and electrical products, developing long-term revenue streams, and record keeping. This kiosk was installed in June of 2016, through collaborative work between nongovernmental organizations in Zambia and the United States, Seattle University, and KiloWatts for Humanity.