Investors back tech-powered energy startups

October 15, 2025

Dear subscriber, Africa’s clean-energy transition is ever more innovative. AI reshapes the sector and investor interest, while cities transform waste into electricity. We also today unpack the growing competitive edge of renewables. Regards, Sammy Jamar

Nigerian startup Rana Energy has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding to scale its AI-powered energy-as-a-service platform, which lets businesses subscribe to clean energy without upfront costs. Founded in 2023, the firm has deployed 1.3 MW of solar and storage in Nigeria and plans to expand to 10 MW next year and 100 MW across Africa by 2028.

  • Funding for energy startups has slowed overall, but investors are increasingly backing strong innovation, especially startups offering smart, technology-driven energy services rather than just basic power supply hardware.

  • South Africa–based solar company Wetility raised $18 million recently. It has pioneered innovative solutions that integrate AI into its business model, the most recent being a system that combines grid and solar costs into a single bill.

  • Our take: The integration of energy and technology is here to stay… Read more (2 min)

South Africa has received a $32 million grant from the Netherlands to advance a waste-to-energy (WtE) project in Johannesburg. The initiative will generate 28 MW of electricity from municipal waste, enough to power 60,000 households. A private-sector partner will develop and manage the project under a 25-year concession agreement.

  • The money will flow through the Infrastructure Fund, South Africa’s blended-finance vehicle designed to transform public infrastructure. This helps reduce risk for investors and makes it easier for private companies to get involved.

  • Rapid urbanisation generates ever more waste in African cities, and landfill space is shrinking. WtE projects offer a solution by diverting waste to generating electricity, meeting growing demand and reducing pollution.

  • Our take: Governments need to recognise WtE in the clean-energy mix to unlock incentives and boost investment… Read more (2 min)

Nigeria and Egypt registered small increases in fossil fuel costs this month, while Kenyan prices remained stable thanks to fuel subsidies implemented to boost price stability. This ought to be good news for renewables. Diesel and petrol prices in South Africa showed a marginal decline. The rand strengthened against the US dollar, easing pressure on pump prices.

  • Simultaneously, electricity prices rose in Kenya and South Africa due to adjustments from foreign exchange fluctuations. Nigeria and Egypt maintained stable prices, with both entering their fourth consecutive month of stability.

  • Each month, Renewables Rising compiles publicly sourced data to track power price fluctuations in Africa's major economies.

  • Our take: The fluctuating fuel and electricity market is a compelling case for stable renewables on the continent… Read more (2 min)

Ivory Coast officially inaugurates the 50 MW Kong Solaire project

Events

🗓️ Sign up for the Power Energy Ghana Expo 2025 forum (Oct 31)

🗓️ Register for the Windaba 2025 event (Oct 21)

🗓️ Attend the Africa Renewables Investment Summit 2025 (Nov 4)

🗓️ Take part in the first-ever African Energy Efficiency Conference (Dec 10)

Jobs 

🌐 Join Sun King as a Senior IT Associate (Kenya)

👷🏻‍♀️ Become UpEnergy’s Supply Chain Manager (Ghana)

👷🏽‍♂️ Apply for Scatec Solar’s SCADA Engineer position (South Africa)

Various 

🤝 CreditChek teams up with Bboxx to boost  solar power in Nigeria

⚡ Cameroon and Zambia are expanding rural electrification with solar power

💡 ECREEE seeks a  consultancy to develop green minigrids in rural Mauritania

🔋 Wärtsilä rolls out GEMS Pulse for battery storage revenue management

Seen on LinkedIn 

Ben David, Writer at The Great Green Migration, says, "If Africa’s green transition isn’t locally led, it isn’t truly progress.”