Solar home system upgrades attract new funding

June 22, 2025

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South Africa's solar energy provider, Wetility,  has secured $28 million in funding from investment firm Jaltech. This investment is a blend of debt and equity and aims to add 16 MW of distributed solar capacity. The company is among the fastest-growing in South Africa, and its financial performance is strong having repaid some of its loans ahead of schedule.

  • Wetility was founded in 2019, when South Africans were experiencing the impacts of load shedding. This continues even today and has increased the demand for independent energy solutions.

  • New funding comes at a time when the government has extended waivers on registration fees for solar systems and smart meter costs until March 2026. Households are saving up to R9,132 ($505), making solar energy more affordable.

  • Our take: Customers of solar home systems are upgrading from basic lighting setups to larger systems capable of powering various household appliances…Read more (2 min)

Consumer View: Farmers bet on solar to lower costs

Solar pumps can save farmers a big amount on fuel costs for irrigation, potentially reducing expenses by up to 91%, according to CLASP, an appliance research NGO. Kenyan farmers are adopting solar for various applications. This week, we had a conversation with Eric Kariuki, a horticultural farmer in Kajiado, Kenya, who is using solar for irrigation. 

  • His solar water pump isn't Eric’s first solar purchase. "We installed solar panels first on the farm, and they've greatly saved us on electricity bills." The benefits of his solar home system prompted him to embrace solar for pumping.

  • Kenya is the world’s fourth-largest exporter of cut flowers and the leading supplier to Europe. Eric farms alstroemeria flowers in a 5-acre piece of land in Acacia, Kajiado.

  • Access the consumer spotlight here…(2 min)

Q&A: Why clean energy makes business sense

Some industry experts claim no country has ever industrialised solely on renewables and that they remain expensive. To challenge this narrative, we spoke with Nancy Mwari, an energy and sustainability expert. She says, from a 360-degree view, renewables are more affordable, and countries should adopt them to avoid future environmental clean-up costs.

  • Nancy has supported several Kenyan industries in reducing their energy costs, earning her several awards. Her latest recognition is the Kathleen Gaffney Prize for energy efficiency (2025).

  • She explains that for companies to fully benefit from renewable investments, they should first implement energy management and efficiency measures. This approach cuts down on project sizing costs.

  • Click here to read more on our conversation … (2 min)

PIDG, Energywise, and Impala sign an agreement with Zimbabwe for the  30 MW Vungu Solar project

Events

🗓️ Participate in a conversation on access to clean energy (Jun 25)

🗓️ Learn about smart financing for complex renewable energy systems (Jun 26)

🗓️ Sign up for a webinar on Nigeria’s gas and energy sector (Jun 28)

Jobs

📊 Be GoodWell Investments’ ESG & Impact Analyst in Nairobi (Kenya)

🛠️ Join the EDF Renewables team as an HSE Manager (South Africa)

👩🏻‍💼 Apply to Scatec Solar’s Logistics Manager role (Tunisia)

Various 

🟢 Jinko Solar gets  crowned top PV module manufacturer globally in 2025

⚡ Globeleq expands into Zambia by investing in a hydropower producer 

🔋 TAQA Arabia secures two awards for Egypt's solar-powered desalination plant

Seen on LinkedIn 

Damilola Hamid Balogun, Co-founder/CEO of the Youth Sustainable Development Network (YSDN), says, “Giving people energy is powerful. But giving them a voice in how it’s built, priced, and governed? That’s transformative.”