VANREPA

VANREPA is a non-profit delivering energy solutions to rural Vanuatu. Green Power is its for-profit trading arm, which imports and sells solar lights and efficient cookstoves.

Value proposition

• Green Power was born out of the activities of VANREPA (Vanuatu Renewable Energy and Power Association) which since 2003 has implemented donor-funded energy projects and products.
• Gradually VANREPA realized that there was a major unfilled demand for energy products in Vanuatu even for people who could afford them, and that it could scale impact much more rapidly if they started selling energy products for a return.
• This led to the formation of Green Power as a private means to sell products, and this has now become the hybrid’s primary focus.

Problem addressed

• Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands, and most people are poor subsistence farmers in rural areas.
• There is very little electrical grid in rural areas, and most people use kerosene and batteries to power lights and wood for cooking.
• These traditional solutions is more expensive and less healthy than the products VANREPA is offering.

Distribution

• Green Power sells most of its lights through local microfinance institution VANWODS, which already has a network of customers for loans.
• Green Power is making a deal with one of the local mobile phone providers to sell lights through them, as the light can also be used to charge mobile phones.
• Green Power’s main competitor, Barefoot Power, has a partnership with Vanuatu’s other mobile provider.