Atlanta-based solar installer Renewvia Energy is set to expand access to its existing solar micro-grids in Kenya while providing renewable electricity for five new communities, thanks to a $1 million investment from an international impact fund.
Social Investment Managers and Advisors LLC, or SIMA, investment manager runs a $90 million, five-year fund dedicated to off-grid solar projects in Africa and South Asia.
The money will widen access to power on the Lake Victoria islands of Ringiti and Ndeda, where Renewvia set up functional micro-grids using a proprietary prepaid system that allows rural residents to access electricity on demand.
The SIMA investment will help Renewvia connect 2,200 more people to those existing projects while also connecting 7,500 more residents and small businesses to grids that will be established in Lomekwi, Nakukulas, Locheremoit, Kagintan, Kori, and Lorengelup. All are located in the country’s northwestern Turkana County, a large, arid region where Renewvia already operates mini-grids in two towns and one refugee camp.
“Renewvia has a track record of successfully delivering reliable, clean power to several communities in Kenya, and we look forward to working with them on these projects and beyond,” said Asad Mahmood, CEO and Managing Partner, SIMA.
The deal with SIMA is just one in a series Renewvia hopes to announce as it scales installations in both Kenya and Nigeria.
Learn more: Lighting Africa From Atlanta: Solar Contractor Sees Profitable Future in the Developing World
