WiSolar is making waves four years after switching to a solar electricity firm as South Africa’s top residential solar electricity provider.
Despite what people may think about it, the purpose is not simply about offering solar-as-a-service.
The larger goal is to ensure that everyone has unhindered access to electricity while also promoting sustainable life by reducing pollutants produced by power generation.
Every Company Aims to Cause a Cultural Shift.
Tonye Irims, the CEO, states, “This larger goal is essential for my team and I, especially when considering the poorest masses who are more affected by the impacts of environmental pollution.”
Although, as WiSolar quickly discovered, encouraging the adoption of clean electricity, such as solar, won’t be a straight path. For starters, how simple will it be to promote to those who don’t have a lot of money?
Furthermore, convincing people to change their culture requires patience and time.
“Initially, the creative idea was to find a way to make solar energy more accessible to the general public. He explained, “We chose the idea of using a prepaid meter system to put customers in control of the expense of their solar energy usage.”
Why Does It Work?
WiSolar uses a finance model that allows the end-user to spend just for what they consume. Solar panels are put on houses’ roofs to catch the solar light, which is then connected via cables and wires to inverters to operate every house using Solar-as-a-service.
“The electricity usage is managed by WiSolar’s distribution unit, which is regulated by the amount a customer purchases on the solar meter,” said one of WiSolar’s team members.
Why the Market in South Africa Accepts it?
It is not like the people don’t already have access to the supply of energy. Yes, they do. However, if a business is going to offer an alternative choice for the general public, it must be better in terms of accessibility, environment, reliability, and affordability.
The people want a more efficient and secure method to utilize energy, as well as a payment method which they can control.
WiSolar recognizes the importance of management for users. Even if a company may offer a better product, the users want to be in control and make sense of the billing and payments.
In order to achieve this, WiSolar eliminated the power distribution barrier. After solar panels are installed on a houses’ roofs, usage and payments for energy consumption can be monitored by using a mobile application. And, like how IoT has enabled smart homes, usage can be monitored from anywhere.
With patent registration 2020/08052, WiSolar is now a leading firm in home solar electricity. Around 1000 consumers have placed distributed solar power in their homes, generating 7 MW each month.
Today, the average residential daily consumption of electricity is 11.8 (kWh) kilowatt-hours per person each day, excluding the usage of electric vehicles.
It makes a Difference to Have an Appropriate Team and Work Environment.
Putting together the ideal team – one that is aligned with the company’s goals – has never been easy.
Because of the commitment of a dedicated staff which aims at achieving the company’s purpose of making sustainable energy affordable and accessible, this dream becomes possible.
Team members are allowed to work from any place as long as the job is done, thanks to the company’s digital way of operating. As a result, even at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine, WiSolar was able to serve its clients.
Once more, their narrative highlights how important it is to have team members who realize the founder’s vision and are devoted to giving it their best.
Customer Service
Each company must first gain the attention and approval of the marketplace in order to be considered as a solution to the issue that people are experiencing. WiSolar realizes that even after having something that helps the people, acceptance is a challenge.
It didn’t occur on the first day it entered the marketplace. When acceptance eventually happened, it spread through a small portion of the market it had been serving well.
The initial stage in any business is to provide valuable education. WiSolar achieves this by assisting clients in comprehending the value of its product. It doesn’t matter how affordable the product or service is; the customer will not purchase it until you can answer this question, “What will it do for me?”
And it’s through this education, as well as promoting what’s in the product for the consumer, that WiSolar has been able to break into the market.
The clients who are continually informed of what is in the product for them are the ones that would attest to the provider’s value.
As South Africa’s solar electricity provider, value is consistently provided to the user experience. That means it really doesn’t end with solar panel installation and delivery based on cost-effective financing options.
“We want to take away every layer of complication from how the general public utilizes solar energy. One of them is the cost, driven by technology,” Mr Irims explained.
Apart from completing their jobs, each team member devotes their time and efforts to address the issues of clients, particularly technical support. They’ve been trained to perform their duties with depth of generosity and empathy.
There’s a Change Now.
WiSolar’s larger purpose is to assist the public in attaining sustainable and healthy living through clean technology adoption and low-cost electricity in Africa.