Lumos Solar is a Dutch Power Solution company that provides off-grid power to places, especially some countries in West Africa where the national grid doesn’t cover the entire populace or where power supply is somewhat unreliable. They provide solar panels and in West Africa and some parts of Asia, they have a partnership with MTN, a major telecommunications company in West Africa. This partnership is aimed at helping a large part of the population who do not have access to electricity or an affordable means of power. Considering the widespread network of MTN in West Africa, the partnership makes the networking easy and payment for the service can be made through the network providers (MTN), It’s a PAYGO system, just like topping up a prepaid sim.
Options
Lumos solar has recently come up with two solar solutions namely the “Lumos Prime” and the “Lumos Eco”. The Lumos prime comes with 2 solar panels which are 160W and have a 330Wh battery. This package allows for heavier home appliances and electronics. The “Lumos Eco” comes with a single panel of 80W with a 200Wh battery. The Eco package is for smaller homes that don’t have much power needs.
How It Works
The most common package people use is the Lumos Eco, the kit has an 80W solar panel that comes with a cable, the panel takes 6 hours to charge on a sunny day. A prestigious “MTN Yellow Box” which is a 300Wh Lumos solar PAYGO unit. Also found in the kit are two LED bulbs, 2 USB ports (5V DC/ 2.1A) which could be used to power a TV set, 4DC Output jacks (12V/2A), A 60W inverter, and 2 Car Cigarette sockets which are 12V/8A. The 80W Solar panel is placed on the roof at a position where it faces the sunlight directly. During the 6 hours of charge, the battery of the inverter is charged. On the other hand, the user must recharge to have access to the power available in the inverter. Despite how much power it carries, one must recharge to have access to it, hence the PAYGO feature. When access is granted, you can then use the box to power your appliances. The power would be on until the battery is drained, and how long it stays depends on how many appliances are connected to it.
Cost
Lumos solar is about providing affordable off-grid power supply through solar energy which is basically free. However, the equipment required to harness the energy isn’t cheap. The pricing is towards ownership of the kit hence it’s broken into installments that can be made daily, 30 days, 90 days to 1800 days. At the end of 1800 days, the payment would be completed and the kit would belong to the user, the payment also includes a 5-year warranty which includes maintenance. However, before the subsequent payments, you would pay #25,000 to obtain the kit and installation. One can also decide to make a one-time payment of #249,215 to cover all payments and own the kit. By doing this you can use the power without limits.
Advantages of Using Lumos Solar
- It is relatively cheap
- It spares the noise from generators
- It is eco friendly because it doesn’t emit fumes
- It uses a renewable form of energy
