Sun King, the company that built its name on pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar kits, is transforming into a full-scale utility and tech provider for underserved markets.
The firm is launching its first locally assembled smartphone and a solar-powered fridge-freezer while scaling up its clean cooking services across Africa.
Connectivity: The “EZ 1” Smartphone
Despite mobile networks covering much of Africa, the cost of a handset remains a major hurdle.
- The Move: Sun King has launched the EZ 1, an Android smartphone designed for off-grid environments and assembled in Kiambu County, Kenya.
- The Strategy: Leveraging PAYG financing, Sun King allows low-income households to pay for the device in small, flexible increments, similar to how they buy solar power.
Cooling: Slashing Food Waste
Over one billion people globally lack reliable refrigeration, forcing small businesses to rely on expensive, polluting diesel generators.
- The Product: PowerFreeze, a solar-powered fridge-freezer that runs entirely on its own battery and panels.
- The Impact: Early rollouts in Nigeria show it helps food vendors eliminate fuel costs and prevent spoilage during blackouts. It also doubles as a charging hub for laptops and lights.
Clean Cooking: Disrupting Charcoal
Sun King is now scaling its EasyCook LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) systems to move families away from health-hazardous wood and charcoal.
- Smart Tech: The systems use “smart meters” that allow users to pay for gas incrementally.
- Logistics: The tech predicts when a cylinder is low and triggers a replacement delivery, solving the “last-mile” fuel supply chain issue that often plagues rural areas.
Why it matters
For millions in off-grid or unreliable-grid areas, the barrier to modern life isn’t just the lack of electricity—it’s the high upfront cost of the hardware that uses it. By applying its micro-payment model to connectivity and cooling, Sun King is tackling the “affordability gap” head-on.
By the numbers
- 350,000: Solar kits delivered by Sun King every month (up from 10,000 in 2017).
- 37,000: The number of agents in Sun King’s distribution network.
- US$170 billion: The projected value of Africa’s mobile sector by 2030.
The bottom line
Sun King isn’t just a “solar company” anymore. It is leveraging its massive physical distribution network and financing expertise to become a one-stop shop for essential infrastructure in the world’s most difficult-to-reach markets.
What’s next: After the initial rollout in Kenya and Nigeria, Sun King plans to scale these products across its 12-country direct-service footprint.
