Solarise lands €1M grant to power into Uganda and Zambia
What's the deal? Solarise AfricaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured €1 million in catalytic grant funding from the Energy and Environment Partnership Trust Fund (EEP Africa)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to expand into Uganda and Zambia. Combined with €1 million in co-financing from the company, the money forms a €2 million, 24-month programme.
What does Solarise do? Founded in 2018, the company operates an integrated energy platform across Southern and East Africa. It combines engineering, financing, operations, and energy optimisation to deliver decentralised renewable energy to commercial and industrial businesses and social institutions.
What's the money for? The grant will establish operations in the two new markets and deploy solar PV, battery storage, and heat pump technologies. The project targets 3MW of new generating capacity.
The milestones: Under the project's contractual terms, Solarise must report and verify at least 4.5GWh of renewable electricity generation and 3,600 tonnes of avoided CO₂ emissions.
What's the endgame? Solarise wants the two markets to run on their own after the grant ends. "Our objective is to build commercially sustainable operations in Uganda and Zambia that can continue deploying energy infrastructure well beyond the grant period," said co-founder and chief operating officer Sakkie van Wijk.
Why now? Across Africa, unreliable grids, rising electricity costs, and reliance on fossil fuels constrain business productivity, while high capital requirements limit renewable investment. "Businesses across the continent face the same fundamental challenge: they need energy that is more reliable, more affordable, and cleaner, but the capital and financing structures required to make that transition are not always readily available," said co-founder and chief executive officer Jan Albert Valk.
The signal: The grant is a sizeable one for its category, landing in the top 10% of fintech funding rounds in South Africa on record. For Solarise, it is less about scale than proof — a chance to show a model honed over years can be replicated across the continent.
Read more: africabusinesscommunities.com
Image credit: Solarise
