Every kilometre you ride contributes to your personal solar generation system that our charity partners install of the roofs of people worldwide who do not have access to clean or reliable power.
It is completely free to use Solar Cyclist. You can however purchase paid subscriptions and upgrade your virtual solar cycle if you want to generate more power per KM you ride. You can even get sponsored by real world companies to get even more boosts!
Your data is safe with us. We operate under Australias strict privacy laws and will not ever sell your data or make it available to any 3rd parties without your permission.
Some of the people and communities we support are medical centres in Africa that otherwise do not have electricity, Families and communities in East Timor that presently have no electricity and indigenous communities in rural Australia.
Every single watt you generate simply by riding your bike goes directly to those in need. There are NO admin fees.
A lack of electricity is a significant determinant of poverty, without light for instance study and work become difficult. The more you ride, the more power you provide and thus the more you help eliminate poverty.
To get started simply download the Solar Cyclist app, connect it to your Strava account and start riding. You can then track in real time exactly how much power you have generated on any given day and where your watts have been installed.
FAQ:
Who are your partner charities?
We are currently partnered with ‘Renew’ – providing support to families in Timor Leste; ‘We Care Solar’ – providing solar-powered medical suitcases across Asia, Africa, and South America; and Corena Fund – providing support to regional Australia.
How do I know my efforts are actually helping those in need?
You can track the impact you’re having right within the App. Where possible, the charities we work with are independently audited to ensure maximum bang for buck. Additionally, we are undertaking to have our own activities independently audited by an internationally respected accounting firm.
I dont have a Strava account. Can I still use this app?
Currently ‘no’. We are working to integrate with other leading tracking Apps like Runkeeper, but for now you need to use Strava.
Can I see who receives my generated energy?
The power generated by all of the riders using the Solar Cyclist App is aggregated, so it is not possible for us to show you which specific solar system your efforts have contributed to. However, we can focus in on a specific region and tell you which country you are supporting.
Is this a non profit?
Solar Cyclist is a commercial organisation relying on people subscribing to paid plans to generate revenue. We work with and support registered charities and we are aiming to disrupt the traditional charity model by gamifying charity and providing real-time feedback loops so that you can give back to charity simply by doing what you love every day. You win, they win, the environment wins, we win = everyone’s happy!
POWERFUL FACTS.
• Roughly 840 million people live without electricity.
• Roughly 573 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without electricity.
• 300,000 mothers and more than one million newborns die annually from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
• Thousands of health centres lack reliable electricity for life-saving care.
• Regions where maternal and newborn mortality are the highest overlap with regions where modern energy services are lacking.
• The burning of kerosene lamps contributes to the death of 1.5 million people every year.
We hope you enjoy making a real difference to the lives of those less privileged while promoting clean energy and keeping yourself fit. We also welcome feedback and feature requests at [email protected].