Objective

• To expand electricity access for off-grid coastal households through a renewable energy solution
• To help mitigate climate change and uplift the lives of the underserved communities

Challenge

With 7,641 islands, many of them remote and difficult to access, the Philippines faces significant challenges in electrification. Nearly 2.4 million Filipino households remain without access to electricity due to the high cost of extending the national grid to underserved areas. As a result, families rely on hazardous and polluting alternatives like gasoline-powered generators, kerosene lamps, and candles, which pose serious health and safety risks. The lack of reliable electricity also limits income-generating opportunities and children’s ability to study.

Social Enterprise

Light of Hope PH addresses the lack of clean energy access in off-grid communities by providing portable, waterproof, solar-powered battery units that offer lighting and phone charging—basic services that significantly improve daily productivity, well-being, and climate resilience. Offered through an affordable monthly subscription model, the cost is lower than what families typically spend on kerosene, making clean energy both accessible and practical. To date, Light of Hope has reached over 500 households, replacing hazardous energy sources with safer, more sustainable alternatives. Each community is supported by a trained village champion who helps Light of Hope stay connected with households, providing on-the-ground support, repairs, and maintenance to ensure uninterrupted service.

To achieve the scale needed for long-term sustainability, AirAsia Foundation has awarded Light of Hope PH a grant to:

• Pilot a lease-to-own model, allowing 50 families from Caubian and Pangan-an Island to eventually own their solar units
• Accelerate business growth and shorten the path to breakeven through capital support for the model

This model promotes ownership, helping families enjoy long-term savings. Light of Hope will continue to provide repair, maintenance, and e-waste management services at a minimal fee to ensure the solar units are properly maintained and responsibly disposed of.

Organisation

Light of Hope PH is a climate-tech social enterprise founded in 2022 with a mission to build resilient, sustainable communities and help mitigate climate change through clean, renewable energy solutions. To address energy poverty in off-grid areas, they provide portable, waterproof Solar Cloudgrid units through an affordable subscription-based model, allowing families to save on kerosene and diesel costs. To date, they have reached over 500 households and aim to scale their impact to more than 5,000 households in the coming years.