IONA Advances Access to Off-Grid Solar Supported by OpenPAYGO™ Token

We’re proud to announce our partnership with esteemed manufacturer IONA, which has recently integrated our renowned OpenPAYGO™ Token activation system into their Home MAX-Series devices to enable Paygo functionality. IONA has also achieved OpenPAYGO™ certification, a testament to their commitment to quality and interoperability in the Pay-as-you-go solar sector. This collaboration strengthens IONA’s mission to deliver innovative solar solutions to unbanked communities across Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

The Hong Kong-based manufacturer is dedicated to combining high-quality design with advanced technology at accessible prices, making premium, sustainable products available to all. As a B2B supplier, the manufacturer understands the unique demands of off-grid distribution and retail, while keeping committed to offering exceptional support to their distribution partners.

IONA manufactures innovative, high-quality solar home systems designed to provide reliable off-grid energy solutions with a focus on user experience, durability, and sustainability. Their Home MAX product lineup includes models with 64Wh and 38Wh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and 20W solar panels, with optional radio functionality. IONA’s design prioritises eco-friendliness, with an assembly process that eliminates screws, glue, and hand soldering, making the products highly repairable and recyclable. The systems deliver powerful illumination, supporting up to four 200-lumen lamps, and include a unique daisy-chaining feature, allowing users to connect multiple lamps for enhanced lighting flexibility and convenience.

“We are excited about this collaboration and looking forward to working with the Solaris Offgrid team for all our next generation products in the roadmap including All-in-One PAYGO air fans, PAYGO laptops and the most affordable and long-lasting higher power solar systems.” Ti el Attar, Managing Director at IONA

The OpenPAYGO™ Token is the free, open-source protocol developed by SolarisLab, the product design and engineering service of Solaris Offgrid, in collaboration with the EnAccess Foundation. This versatile technology enables any device or household appliance to integrate Paygo functionality, making it accessible to underserved communities. 

As an industry standard widely adopted by leading hardware manufacturers in the off-grid solar (OGS) sector, the OpenPAYGO™ Token empowers people at the "Bottom of the Pyramid" by making essential products and services more affordable. Additionally, it is interoperable, allowing distributors of Paygo solutions to use virtually any last-mile management platform, such as PaygOps, for streamlined distribution of products and services. The OpenPAYGO™ Token is critical for creating scalable, interoperable appliances that ensure inclusion for offline and off-grid users.

"The OpenPAYGO™ Token continues to gain recognition as one of the preferred Paygo-token standards within the OGS sector, enabling innovative companies like IONA to optimise resources and extend reach to remote households with robust Paygo-compatible solutions. IONA's mission closely aligns with ours, fostering a powerful synergy that allows for bringing essential products to more homes and drive clean energy access in emerging markets." Thibault Lesueur, Co-founder and CCO of Solaris Offgrid.

Adopting the renowned token protocol is a free, open-source and smooth approach for off-grid solar manufacturers aiming to make their products Paygo-enabled, which supports them in reaching underserved households with affordable, accessible clean energy solutions. By integrating this open-source protocol, manufacturers can significantly save resources, expand their impact, support financial inclusion, and drive sustainable growth in emerging markets.

Ready to make a difference? Visit our website to download the OpenPAYGO™ Token source code files for free, request implementation support from its developers. Let’s keep creating synergies to unlock new opportunities for off-grid energy access!

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About PaygOps:

Solaris Offgrid’s flagship fintech software, PaygOps, enables credit to be provided to the bottom of the pyramid for essential products like solar home systems, agri-inputs, water pumps. The end customers pay incrementally via mobile money under a PAYGO model. PaygOps provides the software infrastructure to manage the contracts, payments and related communication for the local retailers of such products. Our affordable modular and interoperable solution connects energy and payment methods (Pay-as-you-go, mobile money) to a suite of enterprise applications that allows the smooth management of lease financing and field operations, while providing key financial data and metrics to investors.