Case Study: M-KOPA Solar achieves kerosene-free, pay-as-you-go solar power for millions with Microsoft Azure

M-KOPA Solar - Customer Case Study

M-KOPA Solar, a Kenya-based pay-as-you-go home solar provider, set out to solve a widespread challenge in East Africa: lack of reliable, affordable electricity and heavy reliance on unsafe, costly kerosene. Serving off-grid customers in rural areas with limited connectivity, M-KOPA needed a scalable way to deliver clean energy, enable mobile payments, and remotely manage devices to reduce outages and keep costs low.

Using Microsoft Azure (hybrid cloud, Azure Machine Learning, Cortana Intelligence Suite, Azure SQL Database and Service Bus) plus IoT-enabled devices and mobile money, M-KOPA implemented remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and a $0.50/day pay-as-you-go model (400 payments + $30 deposit). The solution has connected 500,000 homes—reaching over two million people nightly—delivering 62.5 million hours of kerosene-free lighting per month and an estimated 600,000 tons of CO2 savings over four years while unlocking TVs, phones, efficient stoves and other income-enhancing services.

M-KOPA Solar

Jesse Moore

CEO