M-KOPA 5

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$222.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household, Community, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, NGOs

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

This product has been distributed through hundreds of M-KOPA dealers in Kenya and Uganda.

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include d.Light X-series, ClimateSmart™ Solar Energy System, Azuri 10W Quad Solar Home System, and SolarNow Welcome Pack.

Manufacturing/Building Method

M-KOPA products are mass-produced and assembled in Kenya. The solar lightning components are manufactured by D-light Solar. M-KOPA Solar also refurbishes products recovered from the market. They clean them, replace damaged components, and then they re-introduce them into the market at lower costs.

Intellectural Property Type

Patent

User Provision Model

Users can obtain the product from M-KOPA retail locations. M-KOPA relies on direct sales representatives, or agents of each retail location to manage sales. There are over 100 retail locations across the three M-KOPA target markets (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania).

Distributions to Date Status

As of 2019, more than 750,000 off-grid solar systems had been sold, reaching over 3 million people.

Design Specifications

The system includes an 8 W solar panel and an M-KOPA 5 control unit with Lithium-Ion battery. For lighting, there are  4 x 1.2 W LED  bulbs with cables and switches and 1 LED portable and rechargeable torch. Additional plugins included are a phone charging USB with 5 standard connections, 1 custom charge cable, and 1 rechargeable FM/USB radio.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Technical support is provided by M-KOPA. If technical questions are within the warranty period, M-KOPA will cover the repair costs. Outside of the warranty, M-KOPA can repair the system at a prescribed cost.

Replacement Components

Customers can contact M-KOPA to purchase system components individually to replace parts of their original system or to upgrade their system.

Lifecycle

2-year warranty covering manufacturing defects on the solar panel, control unit and light points, and a 1-year warranty for the torch, radio, and charging cables.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Manufacturer specified performance targets include affordable, mobile, and reliable.

Vetted Performance Status

This product meets the Lighting Global Quality Standards. According to the tests conducted on this product, the full battery run time of the M-KOPA 5 Solar Home System varies from 3.2 to 23 hours depending on the brightness setting used (main lights/torch, high/low brightness, radio on). The total lighting service is 1600 lumen-hour/solar-day. The lumen maintenance corresponds to 100% the original output along 2,000 hours run time.

Safety

Potential hazards related to the operation of this product include water coming into contact with the electrical components.

Complementary Technical Systems

Complimentary systems include the M-KOPA Phone and the M-KOPA Solar Home Set.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

Until August 2020, this product meets the Lightning Global Quality Standards, based on the IEC Technical Specification 62257-9-5:2018: Recommendations for renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural electrification.

Evaluation methods

Lightning Global verified the product following the Lightning Global Quality Standards in the following aspects: truth in advertising, lumen maintenance, durability, system quality and warranty. For the Quality Test Method, products are evaluated for peak power ratings, durability tests, lumen-hours, battery capacity, run time, and more. The results of these tests are valid until August 2020.

Other Information

Video showcasing M-KOPA distribution system and customer support.