Charles Ogingo, Robert Achoge, and James Ogola build Solar Powered Motor Bike.

Charles Ogingo, Robert Achoge and James Ogola - have built a system they call Ecotran, which captures the sun's energy, stores it in batteries, and uses it to charge a motorcycle's electric motor.

Much of western Kenya has no grid electricity, and the places that do face frequent power disruptions, so solar energy is a promising alternative, they say.

The trios have set up a "fuelling" station with 40 solar photovoltaic units, each generating 250 watts of electricity. The energy is stored in batteries before being transformed by powerful inverters into the alternating current needed by the motorcycle.

The motorbike uses a small portable battery which, fully charged, can run for 70 kilometers(40 miles), after which it must return to the station to be recharged while another charged battery is fitted to the bike.

The co-founder, who have set up a company called Pfoofy Solar Ltd, put together their system in 2014 at a climate change innovation center at Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, where they had been sent to give practical form to their ideas.

After successfully trying out the Ecotran technology on three locally bought motorcycles in Kisumu County's Nyakach area, the young innovators are now expanding the project, and powering 40 more bikes.

Source: Businessafrica.com