Walter Marin, CEO, Plug the Sun
The rural society in the world is significantly backward. More than two billion of the rural population have access to inadequate and unaffordable sources of energy. And at least one million of them are living without electricity. And they are still dependant on traditional fuels like wood, animal dung, crop residues, and charcoal to cook their daily meals and keep themselves warm.
Usage of traditional energy resources, especially in arid and semi-arid areas, leads to environmental damage through excess stripping of forests and woodlands. Generally, these solid fuels are burned in open fires, which may cause incomplete combustion. Incomplete combustion leads to the release of small particles and other constituents that are damaging to human health in the household environment. This calls for a more sustainable and healthier energy source. We have used up more resources until now than our earth can regenerate. These resources are close to exhaustion and our society is facing a major challenge.
Driven by the vision of a sustainable future, Plug the Sun, a leading solar energy system provider from Hong Kong, is responding to the challenge through its affordable off-grid solar solutions for rural communities. The company designs, develop, manufactures and integrates the most innovative solar off-grid solutions to improve access to electricity all around the world. It is the next generation of Portable Solar Power Kits, Solar Home Systems and Mini-grids suitable for house, workshop, office, and community services such as schools and health centers.
The Inception of Plug the Sun
The origin of Plug the Sun traces back to 2014 when his founder, Mr. Walter Marin, provided the solutions for a tender in Peru’ where 160,000 families and 500 community services got access to safe, reliable and sustainable electricity in very remotes area. Thanks to Mr. Marin proprietary technology and know-how in smart solar energy management, the solar installation in the Peruvian rural communities showed to be a viable solution to achieve access to the electricity. As a result, Plug the Sun was incepted as a company to provide an easy and sustainable “plug and play” solution for rural electrification projects. In 2017, Plug The Sun partnered with Enerray, part of MaccaferiGroup, an industrial corporation founded in 1879 to bid in two international tenders in Argentina and the Philippines where the Plug The Sun solution changed the life to 15,000 families in very remote areas of those countries.
Together withFastPower, a tech and service company that has been working in the design of off-grid solar solutions for over 10 years to provide energy and the internet as a service to the remote community, Plug The Sun in partnership with Enerray aim to offer a reliable, viable and efficient solution to electrify rural areas.
Taking the Solar Energy to a Whole New Level
As the solar power is quickly changing the world’s perspective about energy and environment, Plug the Sun’s off-grid solutions can bring energy anywhere, avoiding huge investments for infrastructures, and solving the problem of rural electrification. It offers a wide range of solutions and products to bring energy in villages and for off-grid living.
Mr. Walter Marin, CEO of the Company says, “The innovation lies in the ability of our system to deliver high-density power electronic circuit and smart battery management which could keep healthy and prolong the life of the battery.” He adds, “With pay as you go plan and other fintech solutions, Plug the Sun provides a package to the end-users to improve and change their energy consumption.”
The company’s new off-grid solutions include photovoltaic systems that can be combined with pre-existing diesel generators or single off-grid electric water pumps. Its off-grid solar energy offers high tech, efficient solutions and brings electricity to remote rural villages without huge electrical grids and unsustainable costs for governments or local communities. It also designs solar water pumps and batteries to accumulate energy from the sun. The company creates mobile off-grid living spaces, like classrooms, internet points, micro clinics or shops, restaurants, and bars.
Mr. Marin says, “We deliver zero-kerosene solutions which protect the environment, along with zero-defect products which minimize the impact of electronic waste.” As an environmental organization, Plug the Sun, do not use kerosene solutions as kerosene can cause adverse health effects. Repeated contact with kerosene can cause skin problems and other breathing problems. Studies have also shown that breathing kerosene, it can affect the nervous system of the body. Also, the company’s quest for zero defects is an admirable objective. By striving for stringent guidelines on environmental pollution, it builds better processes and creates a healthy environment.
Team and Exponential Growth
Plug the Sun has a powerful team of highly experienced and successful in-house global tender service team with over a decade of experience in delivering reliable and productive off-grid solutions and services worldwide. With their unique technology platform and business model, they provide a sustainable solution that benefits everyone. Customers gain access to convenient, affordable, and reliable electricity while Companies and Governments reach their electrification and expansion targets. Along with their innovative solutions, they also train and employ local technicians and marketing staff in rural areas, with an aim to provide job opportunities in regions with high unemployment rates.
With a motive to offer new solutions for rural electrification, Plug the Sun partners with local distributors, energy providers, project developers, and governments to deploy their unique Off-Grid technology and business model to remote areas or markets where access to electricity is unstable.
The company has already established offices in South Africa, Hong Kong, Italy, Argentina, and the Philippines and it plans to expand every year.
Mr. Marin says, “We are working with strong partnership especially in Myanmar, Philippines, and Africa to achieve the SGD 7 target to have energy access for all.”
He further adds, “Solidarity and democracy are the foundations of our future. But without proper access to electricity people cannot hope for development and better personal prospects. We think that energy is not a simple matter for technicians but also a matter of life.”