This solar-powered TV brings global news to rural Africa

By Sophie Morlin-Yron, for CNN

Updated 0914 GMT (1714 HKT) June 3, 2016

M-KOPA Solar provides solar power solutions for lighting, radios and other appliances for people who live off the electricity grid in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Photos: Solar TV brings global news to Kenya's most remote areas
M-KOPA Solar provides solar power solutions for lighting, radios and other appliances for people who live off the electricity grid in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
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The company has launched a solar-powered TV set, developed for areas where low energy consumption is crucial. So far 5,000 TV sets has been sold and they estimate that "millions of homes" will have the set within the next few years.
Photos: Solar TV brings global news to Kenya's most remote areas
The company has launched a solar-powered TV set, developed for areas where low energy consumption is crucial. So far 5,000 TV sets has been sold and they estimate that "millions of homes" will have the set within the next few years.
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The TV connects to Kenya's digital television network and has around 30 free channels.
Photos: Solar TV brings global news to Kenya's most remote areas
The TV connects to Kenya's digital television network and has around 30 free channels.
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Only 30% of Kenyans have a television at home, and a large number live in remote areas where they use power sources such as kerosene, car batteries and generators.<br />
Photos: Solar TV brings global news to Kenya's most remote areas
Only 30% of Kenyans have a television at home, and a large number live in remote areas where they use power sources such as kerosene, car batteries and generators.
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Using a mobile payment system, customers pay about $1.25 a day for one to two years, as well as an initial deposit.
Photos: Solar TV brings global news to Kenya's most remote areas
Using a mobile payment system, customers pay about $1.25 a day for one to two years, as well as an initial deposit.
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A woman lights up the compound as her husband fixes a loose screw on his motorbike. The lamp is powered by a solar panel which they have bought on M-KOPA's payment plan.
Photos: Solar TV brings global news to Kenya's most remote areas
A woman lights up the compound as her husband fixes a loose screw on his motorbike. The lamp is powered by a solar panel which they have bought on M-KOPA's payment plan.
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m-kopa solar radiom-kopa solar tv child 2m-kopa solar tv insidem-kopa solar panel changem-kopa solar and childm-kopa solar lighting Kenya

Story highlights

  • A solar power provider in Kenya has launched a TV suitable for low-energy use
  • People who live off-grid in rural areas can buy the set on a monthly payment plan
  • This could change the lives of the 70% of Kenyans who currently do not have a TV

(CNN)In rural Kenya, people walk for miles in the blistering sun after work just to watch television in the nearest town.

At 7pm, in the village restaurants, the music turns off, and the news turns on.
    In this nation of 45 million people -- where many live without electricity -- only 30% of Kenyans have their own television.
      Now a start-up has developed a 16-inch TV which runs on the sun's rays, bringing communication to the masses.
      "There are some 5 million homes in Kenya that don't have electricity," says Jesse Moore, founder of M-KOPA Solar.
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      "And the product most people living off-the-grid want to get is a television."

      Staying current

      This couple from Kisumu, Kenya, were among the first to buy M-KOPA's solar TV kit.
      This couple from Kisumu, Kenya, were among the first to buy M-KOPA's solar TV kit.
      The M-KOPA Solar TV connects to Kenya's digital television network of about 30 free channels, screening soap operas, premier league football games and marathons.
      But culturally Kenyans are very engaged in politics and business, and it is news broadcasts that attracts the most viewers, Moore says.
      "If you travel around Kenya, you see people veraciously reading the newspapers ... People want to consume information about their society and about their government."
      M-KOPA has sold around 5,000 sets since the launch in February, and Moore says they are struggling to keep up with the growing demand.
      "It's feeling of, 'Hey, I can live in a rural area, but I'm not cut off'."

      How it works

      The new kit adds a 16" TV to the original package.
      The new kit adds a 16" TV to the original package.
      The Solar TV is an extension of a more basic solar panel kit to power lights, radios and mobile phones, which the company has sold to 340,000 households in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
      Now it can also power a TV.
      Users simply fix the solar panel to a sunny area outside their home and connect it to their television via a power cord.

      Power on loan

      M stands for "mobile" and KOPA is Swahili for "to borrow" -- the business is tailored to people in less affluent areas who are unable to buy solar panels, or a TV, up front.
      "Most of our customers live at, or below, $2 per day per capita," says Moore.
      Using a mobile payment system pr