Did you know that more than 1.2 billion people around the world don’t have access to electricity in their homes? As a result, they are forced to burn expensive and polluting fuels for their basic lighting needs.

UNFCCC award-winning project Azuri PayGo Energy is changing that. Azuri has combined solar and mobile phone technology to bring clean energy to people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. The pay-as-you-go solar home system provides eight hours of emission-free lighting each day and enough power to charge mobile phones. The Azuri system cuts weekly energy spending by up to 50%, which means people start saving money and reducing emissions immediately.

Key facts:

• Azuri’s innovative financing mechanism helps customers self-finance their access to clean solar power, without having to pay high upfront fees, but instead by paying small, regular amounts via mobile phone technology
• More than 28,000 units have been distributed in 11 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa; in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda, Togo, and Ghana
• More than 140,000 people have benefitted from the clean energy that Azuri solar home systems provide
• Azuri calculates that 46.8 million hours of clean light and 15.3 million hours of mobile phone charging have been provided, resulting in 5,668 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided to date

To learn more, we spoke to Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO of Azuri Technologies.

Listen to the interview below, and subscribe to the Momentum for Change podcast. To stay connected with Momentum for Change, subscribe to the e-newsletter.

We're currently seeking applications for the 2017 Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activities. Want to have your climate change initiative showcased at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, this November? Learn more and apply here: http://momentum.unfccc.int