Solaris Offgrid & EnAccess partner to release an open source PAYGO token algorithm

Awarded with funding from the EnAccess Foundation, Solaris Offgrid developed the OpenPAYGO Token, an open source PAYGO (Pay-As-You-Go) communication protocol that aims at enabling any product with PAYGO capability. PAYGO allows for products to be activated and paid for overtime, and typically via mobile money.

The EnAccess Foundation funds and supports open source R&D projects that accelerate access to energy. Projects funded by EnAccess create open source hardware, software, and toolkits that any energy access organization around the world can use and benefit from.

Already deployed in nearly 20 countries through PaygOps, its Software-as-a-Service solution, and through its hardware consultancy services, Solaris Offgrid supports companies to run profitable operations, in the most efficient way. Understanding that establishing interoperability standards is critical to help accelerate rural or low-income communities' access to life-changing amenities, Solaris Offgrid strives to enhance and grow the ecosystem of PAYGO-industry players making their technologies more accessible and adapted to end-users' needs.

Hence, Solaris Offgrid and the EnAccess Foundation have joined forces to develop the OpenPAYGO Token, a hardware and software agnostic technology that provides manufacturers operating PAYGO enabled devices with a free and secure way to remotely control the activation of end-user devices via a token system. In addition, this free and secure open source token system can then be integrated with any PAYGO software platform, either by directly implementing the token encoding algorithm or by encapsulating it in a microservice with an API to generate the codes.

Benjamin David, Co-founder and CTO at Solaris Offgrid says: “We believe that open source technologies are key to facilitate the adoption of PAYGO products and thus change the lives of 4.5 billion people at the Base-of-the-Pyramid. Currently, with the proliferation of similar but not interoperable PAYGO token technologies, hardware and software providers are forced to spend time and money developing their own PAYGO mechanisms or spend significant resources integrating a multitude of proprietary ones. Overall, this makes it more complicated and more expensive for everybody in the industry to operate PAYGO products. This project, funded by EnAccess, aims to change that, by offering an open source and easy-to-use PAYGO token system that anybody can use for free and without restrictions.”

Rahul Barua, Cofounder and interim Executive Director of the EnAccess Foundation said: "The OpenPAYGO Token, developed by Solaris Offgrid, is exactly the type of ecosystem-building work that EnAccess is excited to support. We believe that this open source solution will save the manufacturers and distributors of PAYGO-enabled products both time and money, and ultimately increase the availability of livelihood-enhancing products throughout underserved communities. We're thrilled to have collaborated with Solaris and look forward to seeing the Open PAYGO Token adopted by organizations across the industry."

This is yet another proof of Solaris Offgrid’s track record in developing interoperable solutions to facilitate the adoption of PAYGO products. Indeed, its hardware-agnostic PAYGO operations management platform, PaygOps, is already integrated with 10 leading solar home systems brands, along with other non-solar products. With a similar aim to better address distribution challenges thanks to an open ecosystem, Solaris Offgrid has recently developed the OpenPAYGO Link, an open source PAYGO appliances communication protocol to facilitate the integration of PAYGO devices with a wider range of appliances.

To carry out the project successfully, Solaris Offgrid has commissioned, since June 2019, an experienced team of engineers and security experts to work on the development of the technology, and ensure that the token will be both adaptable and secure. Are you interested in joining the PAYGO revolution and accessing the free source code? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Resources:

Solaris Offgrid website : http://www.solarisoffgrid.com/

PaygOps website : https://www.paygops.com/

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About Solaris Offgrid:

Solaris Offgrid supports distributors of essential services to build strong customer traction and greater relations with investors through flexible and inclusive Paygo solutions, designed for last-mile operations. Adopting a bottom-up approach in the design of its solutions and creating synergies with a strong network of partners to solve last-mile challenges, the company has already deployed Paygo solutions in more than 30 countries through PaygOps, Solaris Offgrid’s software solution built “In the Field, for the Field” and its product development services. Leading reference in the off-grid solar market, PaygOps, is engineered to deliver modular and interoperable solutions to address off-grid energy access challenges and distribution complexity. For more information on PaygOps, please contact [email protected].

About The EnAccess Foundation:

Established in 2017, The EnAccess Foundation is a nonprofit that funds the development of open source solutions for the energy access industry. It focuses on sharing open source hardware, software, and toolkit solutions that save energy access organizations time and money, to accelerate progress towards SDG 7. For more information, visit www.enaccess.org.