Panasonic Corporation announced it has kicked off a project for people living in off-grid areas that combines educational activities to promote understanding of electricity and provision of the company’s related products. Panasonic will donate its products such as solar generation and storage systems, provide education and technical training to help to develop local business models taking advantage of electricity. The new project is intended for communities in Asia and Africa with a large off-grid population. Starting in Indonesia (January 2018 to December 2019), Myanmar (April 2018 to March 2020) and Kenya (currently being coordinated), the activities will be gradually expanded into other regions and countries.

In order to promote voluntary use of the donated products, Panasonic will provide education to raise awareness among local citizens regarding electricity-use and offer fundamental training on solar panels and storage systems. The company will donate its stand-alone photovoltaic power package called Power Supply Station, compact energy storage systems with LED lighting and solar lanterns, among others. Furthermore, Panasonic will attempt to create small-scale industrial models, such as agricultural and fish-processing businesses, that make use of energy generated by solar panels and storage systems.

The off-grid solutions project is part of Panasonic’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, celebrating the centennial of the company’s founding this year. Since 2012, the company has been working on the »100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project« and donated 100 thousand solar lanterns to the world's non-electrified areas.