Harnessing pedal power to light up Africa

• 589 million people in Africa live without access to a public electricity facility
• Nuru Energy has created a pedal generator that allows light and mobile phone recharging
• The company says its products are more affordable and reliable than other energy solutions
• It has set up a network of micro entrepreneurs who sell and recharge the lights

When night falls over Rwanda, many rural communities far removed from the country's electricity grid descend into darkness.

Unplugged from the power lines, households in these areas rely mainly on fuel-based devices such as kerosene lamps for access to light. Such lanterns, however, are polluting and costly: They emit toxic fumes, pose fire hazards and also put a strain on family budgets.

But recently, an innovative solution has emerged to offer affordable and efficient electricity to low-income households while benefiting the communities by providing jobs to local populations Called POWERcycle, Nuru Energy says it has developed "the world's first commercially available pedal generator" -- a foot or hand-powered device that can recharge up to five modular light emitting diode (LED) lamps in approximately 20 minutes, as well as power mobile phones and radios.

The company says each of its portable LED lamps provides one week of light to a rural household. It also claims that its products are more affordable and reliable than other forms of off-grid offerings that have been developed in recent years, including solar lamps or home solar lighting systems.

"We looked around and said, well, what is the one energy resource that's untapped in this environment? And human power really came to mind," says Sameer Hajee, chief executive and co-founder of Nuru Energy.

With help from the World Bank, Hajee co-founded Nuru Energy and in 2009 the company started testing its products in the field.

Hajee quickly realized, however, that innovative technology was not enough for the project to be successful in a place like rural Rwanda. His company also needed to adopt a creative approach in the distribution front.