Buying Electricity

Paul Needham, an InfoTech entrepreneur and Simpa Networks founder, asks us to consider the impact of living without electricity. We only need to go back three or four generations to remember a time when people didn't have access to modern grid electricity. Needham asks individuals to consider the many limits living without electricity would put on our lives, urging our society to realize that this is something faced by many living in the third world.

The entrepreneur believes that great solutions exist. While solar solutions are not affordable for the people that need them the most, individuals surviving on less then four dollars a day can still have an equal opportunity at obtaining energy. Needham's organization, Simpa Networks, makes solar energy available to those who cannot afford it.

The organization uses a pay-as-you-go pricing method, modeled after mobile phone cards, allowing its customer an ultimate ownership of the electricity. After payments add up, equipment is paid off and belongs to a customer, allowing everyone to have the same power and opportunities that come from energy.