Solarcentury donates 5% of annual net profits to SolarAid
Howard Lake | 29 January 2014 | News
UK solar company Solarcentury has this week donated £98,000 to SolarAid, its largest charity donation to date. Since 2006 it has pledged to donate 5% of its net profits to the charity it helped set up to eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020.
The money will be used to fund channels that allow SolarAid to sell and distribute solar lights via their not-for-profit subsidiary, SunnyMoney. £98,000 is the equivalent of 19,600 lights.
Solarcentury is one of the biggest designers and installers of solar panels. Recently it installed panels on Blackfriars bridge in London.
Frans van den Heuvel, CEO of Solarcentury said:
“It makes us all very proud to witness SolarAid’s success. They are now the biggest distributor of solar lights in Africa having sold 847,154 lights to date. Establishing SolarAid has proven to be key to Solarcentury’s broader purpose: to make a big difference in the fight against climate change through widespread adoption of solar power.”
Andrew Webb, MD of SolarAid said:
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“The relationship between SolarAid and Solarcentury is a special one… Without this vital support SolarAid wouldn’t be in the position we are today: running a social enterprise selling 65,000 solar study lamps a month.”
Solarcentury is keen to encourage other companies to follow its approach. It invites those interested in supporting SolarAid’s work with a percentage of their profits to contact their Corporate Partnerships Manager Tessa Kipping.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.