Safaricom Limited has partnered with M-Kopa, a mobile technology company based in Nairobi, to launch a GSM enabled pay-as-you-go solar solution. This credit-sale model is targeted at low income households in rural areas currently dependent on kerosene for lighting and local mobile bureaus for phone charging.

But that's common knowledge. What do you need to know about this? Take a look below:

M-Kopa solar is currently available in 75 shops in Eldoret and Kitale with plans underway to scale nationwide. According to a press release from Safaricom, over the next quarter 250 dealers in the North Rift Nyanza and Western parts of the country will be signed up. There are though plans to roll out the service to the rest of Rift Valley, Central, Eastern and the Coast next year.

To buy the solar unit you will need to make an initial deposit of KES 2,500 to get a d.light solar home system then pay daily installments of KES 40, via M-Pesa, for one year.

The solar unit has an embedded Safaricom enabled sim card through which your solar system will be switched off if you fail to pay the installments. Once you complete paying the instalments, you will become the owner of the solar home system and you can use it for free.

According to m-kopa.com, the solar home system is quick and easy to set up. All you need to do is mount the solar panel on the roof, place the control unit on a safe and convenient place indoors and connect the lights. In addition to this, the solar home system is portable; you can carry it with you if you are traveling for a few nights.

The solar home system can be used to power 3 bright bulbs and charge mobile phones, though according to m-kopa.com, plans are underway to release several exciting new products. Complete your payments on schedule and you will be placed in a good position to be eligible for future M-Kopa products.

The product has one year warranty and a product lifespan of 7-10 years. The warranty only covers technical defects starting from the date of purchase.

According to a press release from Safaricom, an estimated 3 million Kenyan homes spend an average of KES 70 daily on kerosene and phone charges. Electricity connection fees are also high for some, going as high as KES 35,000. The device will cost KES 2,500 as the initial deposit and daily installments of KES 40 via M-Pesa for one year. Which, they say, is considerably less.

The down side to this product is the fact that it’s use is limited to lighting 3 bright bulbs and in mobile charging.