Abstract Around 18% of the world’s population still don’t have access to electricity, most of them living in rural areas in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Kerosene lamps are widely used for lighting in these regions, but imply a big number of disadvantages including low light quality, reduced indoor air quality and safety concerns. Furthermore, the consumption of kerosene for lighting is very energy inefficient and implies a relatively high cost for the added value it provides, while its price volatility is a major concern for dependant developing regions. Global carbon dioxide emissions from kerosene lamps exceed 200 mega tons annually. A solar home system using light emitting diode lamps provides an effective solution for this problem. This paper elaborates such a solar home system while focusing on overcoming implementation barriers including lack of technical support and affordability. An evolutionary techno-economic assessment, considering the time period 2015–2030, is provided for the proposed system. This emphasizes not only the existing but also the increasing advantage of solar home systems over kerosene lamps.