Lumos Solar Power System is an off-grid Solar Home System designed to provide Pay-as-you-go electricity to off-the-grid communities or communities where grid-supply is unreliable like in most of Africa and Asia. The Lumos Smart Solar System offers a convenient payment plan that allows you pay towards the ownership of the system via small daily installments.
Lumos Solar Power System Specs
- 80W Solar Panel with cable
- 300Wh Lumos Smart Solar PayGo Unit (MTN Yellow Box)
- Two Bright LED Bulbs
- Two USB ports (5V DC / 2.1A)
- Four DC Output jacks (12V / 2A)
- Two Car Cigarette Sockets (12V / 8A)
- 60W DC to AC Converter (60W Inverter)
- 6 hours Charge Time (Bright Day)
The company seems to have replaced the initial Lumos Solar Energy System with two new Solar solutions. The first is the Lumos Eco which offers an 80W Solar Panel and a 200Wh battery and the second is the more powerful Lumos Prime that offers two 80W solar panels (i.e. 160W in total) and a 330Wh battery. The company promises even more powerful Solar Power solutions will be launched soon.
The Hardware
Depending on the solutions you choose Lumos Solar Power System comes with either one 80W solar panel or two 80W solar panels, which you mount on your roof or on a pole outside your house. The solar panel collects energy from the Sun and converts it to electricity for recharging the built-in battery in the in-door unit.
The yellow coloured in-door unit (a.k.a MTN Yellow Box) houses the battery and all the electronic circuitry. Lumos Solar Power System is capable of 200Wh of energy on full charge in the case of the Lumos Eco and 330Wh for Lumos Prime.
The units offers 8 DC output ports for powering various DC powered devices like LED lamps, radio, etc. They can also be used to charge your mobile phones, tablets, power banks, etc.
Specifically, the unit offers two USB ports rated at 5V/2.1A, four 12V DC outputs that can supply up to 2A, and two Car Cigarette sockets rated at 12V/8A. The wide range of power output options means you can easily connected any DC appliance.
In addition, the Lumos Smart Solar System comes with a DC to AC converter that enables you connect AC appliances like a small TV, an electric fan, or a laptop. Note that the DC to AC converter is an optional accessory. It is possible that some units may not come with it.
However, models sold in Nigeria by MTN as part of the MTN Mobile Electricity come with the DC to AC converter. The DC to AC converter is connected to the Lumos Solar Power System via one of the car cigarette sockets. The DC to AC converter is just a power inverter that takes in the 12V DC and converts it to 220V AC. The output of the inverter is rated 60W.
This means that the Yellow Box combines with the 60W DC to AC converter to form a solar inverter. This is why the device is also called the MTN Solar Inverter in Nigeria.
Lumos Solar Power System comes with two powerful LED light bulbs in the box. It takes about 6 hours to fully charge the battery on a bright day. Once charged the amount of hours you can use it depends on the amount of appliances you connect to it.
For example, the unit can power the two LED light bulbs for up to 5 hours.
How Lumos Smart Solar System Works
You already know a bit about how the system works. The 80W (or 160W) solar panel collects energy from the Sun and charges the built-in battery in the in-door unit. However, the Lumos Solar Power System is pay as you go. So, you will not be able to use the stored energy until you pay.
The subscription cost is 7,300 Naira per month for the Lumos Prime and 5,500 Naira per month for the Lumos Eco for four years. There also plans for bimonthly, quarterly, biyearly, and yearly payment.
You activate your plan by loading the required amount on your phone as airtime credit and sending an SMS code to 317. You can see the subscription plans with activation codes on our write-up about the MTN Mobile Electricity.
Once your subscription is confirmed, the Lumos Solar Power System will unlock enabling you power your appliances. In Nigeria, you are required to pay at least for 20 days in any given month in order to continue using the system.
After 1800 paid days, the system unlocks permanently allowing you use energy for free for the rest of the useful life of the system. The Smart Solar System comes with a 5-year warranty. During the warranty period MTN/Lumos will handle its maintenance.
The Lumos Solar Power system is similar to the Azuri Quad launched by the Federal government in January 2017, but we find it more practical than Azuri for the average electricity consumer.
Lumos Solar Price and Availability
Lumos Solar Power System is available in Nigeria. You can buy the pay as you go off-grid Solar Home System at MTN Walk-in centres across the country. Lumos Solar Power System Price in Nigeria starts at 20,000 Naira as a one-time payment for the Lumos Eco and 25,000 for the Lumos Prime.
After making the payment and filling the required form, you can take possession of the system. You can then choose the subscription plan that meets your budget. You are expected to pay for at least 20 days in a month. After 1800 paid days, the Lumos Smart Solar System becomes yours to use for free without any further payment.
You may also be interested in MTN Mobile Money.
