High-quality productive use equipment (PUE) has the potential to increase the productivity of business owners and farmers in rural and underserved communities, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and accelerate the uptake of renewable energy solutions such as solar home systems and mini-grid developments. However, these nascent PUE are complex technologies with unproven commercial paths, making it risky for off-grid solar companies and distributors to confidently invest in and deploy new PUE.

Access to reliable data and information about the performance, durability, and safety of PUE enables these market stakeholders to make informed decisions and identify high-quality, energy-efficient technologies. Responding to the market needs, VeraSol developed the Rapid Product Assessment framework, which offers a flexible, cost-effective, and timesaving approach to verify the quality of nascent PUE technologies.

The team selected egg incubators as the first trial product for the Rapid Product Assessment approach due to their potential to significantly increase the productivity of poultry farmers and rural households. VeraSol partnered with Kijani Testing, a Kenya-based research and testing facility, to conduct egg incubator testing.

Read the report for insights on the testing and evaluation processes and learnings from the egg incubator testing pilot.

Download the report here: Rapid Product Assessment: A New Approach to Testing Productive Use Appliances