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M. Tumusiime
product life stands a higher chance of being accepted and appreciated by
the client base. Sovacool 2009 reports that the average life of a cleantech product should not be less than three years. Today solar lanterns
go beyond this with some extending a 5-year lifetime, and this represents some of the strides that have occurred in Uganda’s transition to a
low-carbon economy
Product designs should also be cognizant with a social-value adding
nature, inadvertently serving more than one purpose (Miller et al. 2018).
A useful invention which is becoming mainstream is the solar water
pump which has a solar panel to enable the pumping of water for crops,
especially during dry spells. Solar Now, a solar company has mastered this
by providing solar water pumps at payment terms that are favourable for
the customer and going a step ahead to advocate that the farmer lends
out the pump for a fee, when not in use. This not only adds an income
generation stream for the farmer but also supports the crop livelihoods
of other farmers. Value-adding products are a unique advantage for the
decentralized supply of clean energy to last-mile populations that cannot
sustain extra spending.
9.3.4 Solving the Product Distribution Hurdle
Distribution is one of the underlying bottlenecks for product access,
and such logistical challenges should be addressed in order to ensure a
transparent and streamlined flow of products from the manufacturers to
the end-user. On the upstream end, products that are mostly shipped
from eastern countries have a clear and concise flow. The difficulty arises
downstream when issuing out products to rural areas. The logistic flow of
last-mile distribution is broken, and private sector companies like Godel
are stepping into bridge the gap (Digest Africa 2018). This presents an
opportunity for new players to come in and fill the gap because SHS
distribution branches are mostly located in higher-density areas with
little to no service in far-to-reach areas.
The bigger problem here, however, is not the lack of solution; it is
the deficiency in the literal access (Schmidt 2019). While some companies have subsidized their prices downwards even with financial support
M. Tumusiime
product life stands a higher chance of being accepted and appreciated by
the client base. Sovacool 2009 reports that the average life of a cleantech product should not be less than three years. Today solar lanterns
go beyond this with some extending a 5-year lifetime, and this represents some of the strides that have occurred in Uganda’s transition to a
low-carbon economy
Product designs should also be cognizant with a social-value adding
nature, inadvertently serving more than one purpose (Miller et al. 2018).
A useful invention which is becoming mainstream is the solar water
pump which has a solar panel to enable the pumping of water for crops,
especially during dry spells. Solar Now, a solar company has mastered this
by providing solar water pumps at payment terms that are favourable for
the customer and going a step ahead to advocate that the farmer lends
out the pump for a fee, when not in use. This not only adds an income
generation stream for the farmer but also supports the crop livelihoods
of other farmers. Value-adding products are a unique advantage for the
decentralized supply of clean energy to last-mile populations that cannot
sustain extra spending.
9.3.4 Solving the Product Distribution Hurdle
Distribution is one of the underlying bottlenecks for product access,
and such logistical challenges should be addressed in order to ensure a
transparent and streamlined flow of products from the manufacturers to
the end-user. On the upstream end, products that are mostly shipped
from eastern countries have a clear and concise flow. The difficulty arises
downstream when issuing out products to rural areas. The logistic flow of
last-mile distribution is broken, and private sector companies like Godel
are stepping into bridge the gap (Digest Africa 2018). This presents an
opportunity for new players to come in and fill the gap because SHS
distribution branches are mostly located in higher-density areas with
little to no service in far-to-reach areas.
The bigger problem here, however, is not the lack of solution; it is
the deficiency in the literal access (Schmidt 2019). While some companies have subsidized their prices downwards even with financial support