It’s been 13 years since Lytefire was founded in Finland first by two, then six motivated (very motivated) people who wanted to facilitate access to clean energy for the most vulnerable populations, from the Global South.
Vulnerable? Yes. But given their incredible strengths and skills, not only.
Our targeted users are farmers who cope with extreme weather, heat waves, droughts and floods, relying on nothing but the community around them.
They are women who have to chop wood far from home, walking long distances with potential predators on the way and carrying the wood. Then they sit in front of the open fire, exposed to smoke for hours, prevented from implementing their next entrepreneurial ideas due to the lack of access to cheap and clean energy.
They are young adults facing severe economic challenges, who do not want to leave their families but are forced to do so in order to survive, and who can’t do much about protecting their environment.
They are skilled artisans who have a small production of bread or other baked goods. Or they can also be chefs in small or medium size canteens.
We created Lytefire for them, to provide access to the illimate clean solar energy with a device that they can maintain in hard environment. Lytefire still exists because its African’s users, and some even make a living out of it. Everyday, they do is called: Productive Use of clean energy (i.e. making money with clean energy).
And this is where energy and profitability clearly connect. With more decentralized clean energy systems, there are more local sustainable jobs and therefore more social justice.
So, at Lytefire, we say every day is World Day of Social Justice.
Social justice and down-to-earth innovation are not a trend. They will last.
The impact of this beautiful solar oven on the environment is real.
It’s not for everyone. It’s not for everywhere. But where it’s well used, it creates sustainable jobs. It’s as simple as that.
Now, what makes Lytefire unique?
We are a social and impact company, meaning that we are also a bit like a social and environmental research and innovation laboratory that finds solutions to real problems in the field. But unlike labs, we are able to test our solutions economically, react quickly to client feedback and correct in order to demonstrate that change is possible. This is how we are able to create step by step the market for Lytefire’s solar-thermal products.
Since 2012, Lytefire has developed a model based on a simple and yet powerful technology, very well suited to users in the Southern and sunny countries. We are selling Lytefire PRO with hybrid energy made in Kenya. And we now also offer training for TVET programs, vocational schools and capacity building programs. On top of this, we created several high-tech models with CNC manufacturing and automatic tracking, and we continue to innovate. In parallel, from time to time we sell construction guides for DIY enthusiasts.
To this date, we have been (and still are to our knowledge) the first clean energy company that has ever allowed access to a design through several entry points corresponding to different technical levels and contexts:
– Local and international NGOs purchasing ready made Lytefire units manufactured industrially,
– DIYers purchasing our construction manual to build the most basic version,
– Special projects commissioning us for high-tech developments.
Some are telling us that our business is very dependent on political events. It is true. The conflicts in Ukraine and in Gaza have slowed down our work a lot, same with the drastic reduction of USAID’s budget. We could see that among NGOs the priority has been less on adaptation to global warming, but rather of course dealing with these conflicts. But who else than the NGOs know the context of vulnerability better? Who else, other than them, has that level of field and human experience?
No matter the time it takes, we will continue to cooperate with people from very different backgrounds. We will continue to tailor cooperation to specific needs.
Many people didn’t believe we could do it. But we did it and we continue to do it.
This is what we do, with a unique business model, a small yet motivated team and with shareholders who have accepted to support a business primarily dedicated to humanitarian impact and solving climate change.
Thank you to all of you who still believe with us in the possibility of social justice and in the reality of solidarity between people. With courage, strength and a spirit of reconciliation, we may all be able to change this world in the end.
If you want, you can read more about our model here.
