Solaris Offgrid, the pay-as-you-go solar energy solutions provider, has raised more than €1M to fund R&D and grow into new markets.
The funding will be used to support the firm both in growing its operations across the developing world and in continuing to create new, modular and scalable solutions for partners and customers.
Siten Mandalia, co-founder of Solaris Offgrid, says, “We’re proud to have brought clean and safe electricity to almost 10,000 people, across six countries, since we began operations three years ago. But that’s just the beginning. This latest round of funding will prove crucial as we work towards our ambition of providing power to 10 million people by 2022.”
Solaris Offgrid’s pay-as-you-go technology can be scaled up from basic lighting to full-service communication, refrigeration and productive solutions – as and when customers need it. It has been particularly popular in Tanzania, where the company operates through its subsidiary Solaris Tanzania.
Alongside this, the company designs and manufactures integrated solutions for field partners, enabling them to provide affordable and sustainable energy access in off-grid areas – including in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Benin and Senegal.
Unlike other players in the industry, Solaris Offgrid combines its offer of modular hardware with tailor-made business support and cutting-edge proprietary cloud software – meaning that its partners have access to the exact solution that best meets their needs, the company said.
Solaris Offgrid’s investors include but are not limited to: InnoEnergy; rural electrification fund, GAIA Impact Fund; and impact venture builder, Zubi Labs.