In the journey towards net zero carbon emissions, carbon credits remain an important tool in helping companies compensate for their unavoidable emissions.
Our solar-powered lights eliminate carbon emissions and toxic fumes by replacing kerosene lamps and candles. The avoided emissions are certified as carbon credits, which we then sell to discount our solar lights and make them affordable for those who need them most, starting with low-income, off-grid families.
We currently have carbon projects in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with more approved for upcoming deployment in other African countries.
Our carbon credits are certified by Gold Standard for the Global Goals, a not-for-profit organisation that sets the highest requirements and standards currently available on the voluntary carbon market (VCM).
Gold Standard develops robust, science-based methodologies and standards to certify carbon credits called Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs), working closely with project developers like Namene, the local communities impacted, and the third party validation and verification bodies (VVBs) who independently audit the claims associated with the projects.
To determine the quality and integrity of our VERs, Gold Standard measures the impact of our solar lights against a range of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Zambia Country Director, Chanda Mulenga shares lessons and strategies that have enabled our success deploying solar lights to some of the most remote communities.
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Namene has delivered its millionth discounted solar light under its carbon projects, two years after the projects’ inception.
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L’entreprise de technologies propres Namene franchit une étape cruciale en distribuant plus d’un million de lampes solaires à des familles vivant hors réseau électrique, grâce à ses projets carbone la
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The carbon methodology used by Namene in our projects establishes that each solar light avoids 92kg carbon emissions every year.
But this is a very conservative estimate determined through strict requirements. Some research suggests that each solar light used in place of a kerosene lamp avoids over 350kg a year.
By buying Namene VERs, companies are helping low-income families and off-grid communities access solar energy for the first time, and – through the subsidised price of our lights – save monthly income to spend on other sustainable and durable products as needed.
In addition to Gold Standard’s requirements, we apply a stringent internal audit process which goes beyond these requirements – with higher frequency monitoring and surveys, increased product warranty periods, and ongoing customer engagement campaigns to guarantee the emissions reductions created by our projects.
We use a customised digital tool that captures customer data at the point of sale, collects automated statistics into a central database and monitors the ongoing performance of our projects. We also conduct regular customer surveys.
Our focus is on ensuring traceability and tracking the impact of all the devices we sell, including where and how they are used, and when they should be serviced for maximum efficiency. We are also constantly improving the design of our products, with a usage reporting functionality built into models launched in 2023.
We take care to partner with organisations who buy our VERs to complement, not replace, actual reductions in GHG emissions from their operations and value chain.
Learn more about our individual projects in Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
By providing safe and sustainable products that replace carbon-emitting alternatives, we enhance the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in a growing number of countries in the Global South.
Through this work we are proud to support a number of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As part of our Gold Standard-certified projects, we currently measure the impact of our lighting climate programmes against six SDGs:
SDG 1 – No poverty
Our lamps allow families to save over $6 per household per month which they would normally need to spend on kerosene or candles. Working after dark using our lamps also enables households to increase their revenues.
SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
Replacing kerosene lamps with solar lights removes pollution and health and safety hazards. Kerosene lamps trigger respiratory and eye diseases and regularly cause burns and housefires too. Each year, they kill approximately ~ 1,5 million people – more than Malaria.
SDG 4 – Quality education
Our solar lamps greatly improve conditions for home studying due to better lighting and air quality, leading to more study hours and better education outcomes for children.
SDG 7 – Affordable and clean energy
After a one-off purchase, the sun powers our lamps for free for up to seven years for a family. Our lights can unleash the power of clean lighting to many of the 750 million+ people who do not have access to electricity today.
SDG 8 – Decent work and growth opportunities
Access to affordable, portable and reliable lighting at night opens up work and earning opportunities for many. This includes those in the most remote communities and on the lowest incomes who may need to work several jobs at different times of the day to sustain their families.
SDG 13 – Climate action
Our products directly reduce GHG emissions (92kg per year per lamp) through avoided use of fossil fuels. Light from kerosene and candles contribute 1% of CO2e equivalent global emissions, 300,000,000T CO2e /year.
There are lots of questions about the different kinds of carbon offsets available on the market and how they work. So we've set out to answer them here.
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Our team on the ground in Namibia are now delivering our solar lights to communities and informal settlements, as part of our countrywide carbon offsetting project.
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Namene Solar’s innovative carbon offsetting solar project is the first of its kind in Zambia. Our lights cut carbon emissions, reduce poverty and have truly life-changing impacts.
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