The Solar Solution That Pays for Itself: Introducing PAYP for Ethiopia

There’s a moment in every entrepreneur’s life when everything clicks. It’s not the moment of success—no, that comes later. It’s the moment of realization, when a problem stares you in the face, and you know, deep down, that you have to solve it. For me, that moment came when I looked out over the rural landscapes of Ethiopia and saw something that both moved and troubled me: communities in need of solar energy, but struggling to make the financial leap.

For years, I’d been watching people fight an uphill battle. The old Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) models, though promising, left families and small businesses with a heavy burden. High-interest rates made these solar solutions expensive, and the flexibility of payments was often conditional. If a farmer couldn’t pay, their electricity supply was cut off. If a small shop couldn’t make the next payment, their refrigerator stopped working—destroying their goods, and potentially their livelihood.

I realized something critical: solar energy wasn’t just about lighting homes. It was supposed to empower people. But under the PAYG model, it was doing the opposite. It was a trap. A trap that locked families into a cycle of debt, that didn’t support their economic resilience but drained it.

That’s when I knew something had to change. And that’s when the idea for Pay-As-You-Produce (PAYP) was born.

Imagine a model where solar energy wasn’t a cost you paid on time, but rather a tool for income generation. A farmer could use solar-powered irrigation to grow more crops. A small business owner could rely on solar refrigeration to keep their products fresh and sell more. A livestock farmer could use solar-powered water pumps to ensure their animals thrived year-round. It wasn’t just about lighting homes; it was about lighting up opportunities.

I can still remember the day I sketched the first rough outline of PAYP. My hands trembled as I put the pieces together. Instead of burdening people with bills, what if we allowed them to pay for their energy with the income they made using solar-powered technologies? Instead of paying up front, the cost would be spread over the life of the project, aligned with the profits made. Whether it was through solar mills, irrigation, or even hydroponic systems for livestock feed, this model had the potential to give people a steady income and reliable power.

I pictured farmers, for the first time, no longer worrying about how to pay their energy bill while simultaneously struggling to feed their families. Small business owners could invest in solar-powered fridges, sell more produce, and reinvest in their growth without being tied to financial restrictions. What had once been a burden was now a tool for empowerment.

But as we started developing the model, we knew we weren’t just launching a product; we were launching a movement. The traditional models weren’t cutting it, and it was time to innovate. PAYP wouldn’t just be about energy; it would be about sustainable growth and financial flexibility. The systems would work with the communities, not against them. Solar would power not only their homes but their livelihoods.

At that moment, I realized that energy was never meant to be a cost. It was always meant to be a tool for empowerment. And so, we are pushing forward with the impact investors and strategic partners—determined to make PAYP a reality.

The response would be overwhelmingly positive. Farmers would be seeing their yields grow. Small businesses are thriving. And most importantly, communities are no longer trapped by high-interest bills and unreliable service. They are thriving—because energy is no longer a burden. It’s an opportunity.

As we move toward full-scale deployment of PAYP, I feel an incredible sense of pride and purpose. We are building something that will change the lives of rural communities. And when I look back at that initial moment of realization, I can’t help but smile. We’ve taken the future of energy into our own hands—and we’ve made it about more than just light.

We’ve made it about growth. Opportunity. And empowerment.

Here’s to the journey ahead.