We recommend reaching out directly to manufacturers to get more information on their processes for procurement. All solar energy kits include the manufacturer’s contact information on their product’s page. For off-grid appliance Global LEAP Awards Winners and Finalists, you can refer to the Buyer’s Guides for TVs (2016 and 2017), fans (2016 and 2017), refrigerators (2017 and 2019), and solar water pumps (2019) for manufacturers’ contact information. Mangoo Marketplace also sells some of the appliances featured on VeraSol Product Database.

To submit your product for testing and to be featured on Product Database, please fill out this contact form.

If you would like to contact someone from the VeraSol test lab network or are interested in learning more, please contact us so we can connect you with the appropriate person or provide you with more information on the test labs.

For general inquires, contact info@VeraSol.org. As, always, the best way to receive notifications about changes to the quality assurance program is to subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

More information about the Lighting Global program may be found on their website.

The VeraSol Product Database is a freely available digital tool that enables market actors to search, sort, filter, compare the performance and quality of hundreds of off-grid solar solutions. To learn how to use the Product Database, please visit our Product Data Sharing page.

Yes, we encourage users share and use our data for business and personal use. If you use data in the VeraSol Product Database for any publications or reports, please use the following citation: VeraSol Product Database. 2020 Washington, D.C.: VeraSol. Available online at: data.verasol.org

Yes, VeraSol team is constantly observing and surveying the market to identify high-priority and high-impact products to be included in the testing and certification services. If there are other products you would like to see included in VeraSol Product Database, please let us know.

No, to meet the various needs of users, the Product Database does not include additional tools for analysis. However, we give users the option to perform their own analysis by downloading the entire data set. This feature gives users the flexibility to conduct their own analysis and tailor the data for their needs.

Yes, downloading the entire dataset for a product category is simple. Learn more.

In off-or weak-grid markets, it’s common to find generic products that do not have a brand name or model number listed on the product’s packaging or other consumer-facing materials. If the brand name or model number is not included on any consumer-facing information, it is marked as “Not stated”.

The sample locations refer to the place where the products are sampled or procured. If sample locations are listed as a city and country, it means the products were randomly sampled and purchased from that location, either from manufacturers or from retail shops. If the sample location is listed as “Manufacturer’s Warehouse”, it means the product was randomly sampled directly from the warehouse.

The same model is listed twice for one of two reasons. The first is that the VeraSol team occasionally tests the same product sampled from different years to understand how product performance changes over time. The second is that when we engage with a new test lab, the VeraSol team conducts round robin testing (i.e. working with various test labs to test the same product models and compare results to ensure data consistency). The results produced by various test labs through round robin testing are all shared on the VeraSol Product Database.

A field is marked as “Not tested” for one of two reasons. The first is that the original test method did not include that specific test, and so certain tests were not performed for some of the earlier products. The second is that it is not applicable to the product (e.g. ceiling fans do not undergo a drop test).

The retail price is included where possible to provide a reference for what a consumer might pay for a product in a given market. For some of the products sampled directly from manufacturers, companies provide the “Free On Board (FOB)” or wholesale pricing which may not include import duties, mark-ups, and other additional costs that can influence the final retail pricing. Depending on which market the products are sold, the difference between FOB and retail price can vary significantly, making it difficult to compare the two. Additionally, when appliances are sold with a solar home system, we cannot isolate the price of the appliance from the whole system package price. For these cases, the products are marked as “N/A”.

A solar energy kit consists of a series of components including: a PV module, a charge control unit, a battery, cables, switches connectors and protective devices to connect the components, lighting, and optional appliances such as a TV, fan or radio.

VeraSol currently certifies pico-solar products (≥10 Watt peak) and solar home system kits (<10-350 Watt peak). All products listed on the Product Database are currently certified by VeraSol.

Yes, all solar energy kits listed on the Product Database meet the Lighting Global Quality Standards. Later this year, VeraSol will begin certifying products to the IEC standards (IEC TS 62257-9-8). The Product Database includes information on which standards (i.e. Lighting Global Quality Standards or IEC standards) a given product was evaluated to.

The Standardized Specification Sheets and Verification Letters are the main certification documents for products that are certified through VeraSol. The Specification Sheets provide clear, verifiable, and accurate information on quality and performance to potential buyers. Verification Letters are the main document used to provide confirmation that a product has met the quality standards.

The database for solar energy kits does not include information on retail prices because its main purpose is not to sell products. VeraSol shares performance data and information on products that meet the quality standards. If you are interested in purchasing a given product or want a price quote, please reach out to the contact person provided on that product’s page or on the Standardized Specification Sheet or Verification Letter.

VeraSol is constantly testing new appliances and sharing testing results.Each product listing in the VeraSol Product Database has a testing completion date.

VeraSol works with a global network of five International Standards Organization (ISO)-accredited labs to test appliances. The testing location of each product is listed on its individual listing in the VeraSol Product Database. Learn more about our test lab network and what products they test for VeraSol.

The Global LEAP Awards collaborates with off-grid energy industry stakeholders, appliance manufacturers, policymakers, and test facilities to develop test methods that evaluate the quality, durability, energy performance, and off-grid market appropriateness of TVs, fans, refrigerators, and solar water pumps. The test methods are developed through a rigorous research, consultation, and review process. Global LEAP Awards leverages other existing, widely adopted international test methods (e.g. International Electrotechnical Commission as the foundation and modified, when necessary, the test methods to better evaluate product performance when being used and operated in off-gird and weak-grid conditions (e.g. voltage fluctuations, solar day simulations).

Equip Data uses the Global LEAP Test Methods for Off-Grid TVs, Fans, Refrigerators and Solar Water Pumps to evaluate products.

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VeraSol sources products either directly from manufacturers or from retail shops in off-grid markets. To ensure more impartial results and that no bias is introduced from preferential pre-selection of products when choosing products from manufacturers’ warehouses, VeraSol randomly samples products for testing. Learn more about our sampling process.

Companies with questions about their certified products should contact VeraSol.

Pico-solar products and SHS kits must be tested by an authorized testing laboratory from, and then certified by VeraSol to be listed on the certified product list.

Is an internationally recognized baseline measure for product quality, durability, and truth in advertising that all market actors can trust.

Product certification demonstrates that companies are committed to quality and integrity. It affirms that products have passed specific performance and quality assurance tests. What’s more, a growing number of key stakeholders (i.e. investors, distributors, microfinance institutions, international development agencies, governments etc.) recognize the value of quality certification for due diligence processes and smart purchasing decisions.

VeraSol’s rigorous quality assurance (QA) framework is grouped into six categories: (1) test methods & quality standards, (2) technical capacity building for test laboratories, (3) public listings of quality products, (4) testing and quality certification services,(5) technical assistance to governments, and (6) engagement with market actors.