Tired of unethical investments? Solar energy offers a green alternative!

You’ve been wanting to invest your money and grow a passive income – but the unethical business practices of many companies are no match for your sustainable vibes? You want to make money and do good for the planet, the climate, and other people? We couldn’t agree more.

enPower.life offers sustainable investment opportunities for investors who understand that their money has power – no matter how big or small the amount they invest. For over two years now, we have been busy providing small and medium sized sustainable businesses in Uganda with solar energy. Solar energy provides a clean and green alternative to the commonly used diesel generators. And diesel generators don’t only pollute the environment, they are also unsafe to use. But because the electricity grid in Uganda faces frequent outages, they are still widely in use to cover gaps in electricity supply.

But whilst solar energy provides a powerful alternative that is clean, reliable – and even cheaper than electricity from the grid, the upfront costs for a solar plant are often too high. To cover these upfront costs, enPower.life developed a unique business model. Impact investors can invest in their favorite projects, thus helping finance a solar plant. enPower.life installs the solar system for our client and makes sure everything runs smoothly. The solar energy is cheaper for our client than electricity from the grid, or diesel generators, and, of course, much better for the environment and safer. We let our solar plant to our client, and navigate the income streams back to our investors, who benefit from attractive interest rates.

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26 January 2023

Solar energy projects in Uganda: 2022

Another year of solar energy projects in Uganda: 2022 is coming to an end and enPower.life can look back on a challenging but also very successful year.

Our greatest success: the financing, installation, and commissioning of our 35 kWp solar system in Uganda, which supplies Yujo Izakaya with green solar power. And of course, our 28 kWp solar system for the Aquarius Kigo Resort continues to produce solar energy for the eco-friendly hotel in Kampala, Uganda.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has invested in one of our solar energy projects in Uganda. Thanks to your investments, we have been able to equip two sustainable companies with an enPower.life solar system, avoiding a lot of CO2 emissions and making the world a little bit more sustainable. We also want to thank our partner Equator Solar for the successful collaboration in installion our solar plants.

Come join us as we walk towards a more sustainable future and further solar energy projects in Uganda in the coming year!

Your enPower.life team

December 20, 2022

Captive Solar PV Market in Uganda: enPower.life in UN report

enPower.life is mentioned in a UN report on the solar market in Uganda as a leading example of solar financing. Since the report was published, we have already financed and successfully commissioned the next enPower.life solar plant. In addition to the solar system for the Aquarius Kigo Resort, the solar system for Yujo Izakaya now also saves CO2 emissions.

The report provides further interesting insights into the solar market in Uganda: The solar market in Uganda is still clear. According to the report, between 2013 and 2021, only about 89 solar systems were installed and commissioned in Uganda. Businesses are increasingly turning to solar energy to escape the unreliable power supply, high electricity costs and expensive diesel generators. In Uganda, electricity from solar systems is about 20-30% cheaper than electricity from the grid. It is also important for environmentally and climate-conscious companies to reduce their CO2 footprint.

The majority of the solar systems were financed by crowd investing and impact investors – just like we did with our enPower.life solar systems. Although financial institutions in Uganda are interested in investing in the solar market in Uganda, unclear legislation and strategy for the solar market make this financing option difficult. In addition, there are non-uniform tax benefits for solar energy projects and only limited know-how in Uganda.

Nevertheless, interest in solar energy solutions is increasing and the solar market in Uganda is growing steadily. Improved power reliability, lower electricity bills and reduced carbon emissions make solar energy an increasingly popular solution for businesses in Uganda.

You can access the full report from the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Center here. UNEP stands for United Nations Environment Programme and is the leading environmet authority within the UN system.

November 17, 2022

 

Happy 60th Independence Day, Uganda!

9th October 2022

Yesterday marks the 60th Independence Day for Uganda. Big congratulations from enPower.life, we look forward to many more solar projects in the country that is also known as the ‘pearl of Africa’. 😊 🌞

 

Electric cars and solar cooking: This is how Yujo Izakaya uses solar energy

29th September 2022

Since the commissioning of the 35 kWp solar system for the sustainable business community Yujo Izakaya in Kampala, Uganda, a few weeks ago, a lot has happened: In our new video, Hanif Rehemtulla shares what the solar power is used for and what he has planned for the future. Because one thing is certain: Yujo Izakaya is going to be as sustainable as possible.

Of course, the generated solar power is used to run Hanif Rehemtulla’s restaurant: the induction hob is now powered by the sun. But in order to be able to prepare food, the restaurant needs one thing above all: ingredients. In order to transport these to Yujo Izakaya as sustainably as possible, Hanif now trusts e-mobility and charges his electric car with solar power. In the future, more electric vehicles will be able to refuel using the sun. This probably makes this enPower.life solar system the first solar fuel station in Uganda – but certainly not the last!

Watch our video with Hanif and the solar plant now!

 

You prefer to read? Here is the transcript of the video:

Hey guys! Today you find us inside Yujo Izakaya and I’m going to tell you a little bit about what we’re going to be using the solar panels for and what about our plans. But first let’s go take a look up there so I can show you in person.

Hey guys! So here we are in front of our 35 kilowatt solar plant and let me tell you a little bit about what we are planning to use this for. So, first of, there are our are lights and our appliances which are electric and have already started pulling out some of this electricity from the solar panels and with our induction cooking plates which use electricity and magnets to directly heat up the pots we can reduce our
reliance on gas from the old tanks that we had installed. So that’s the first one.

The second one is something that we’ve just started doing just before Covid struck in Kampala where vehicles were not allowed to move around, motorcycles are not allowed to move around. We found a supply with electric bicycles and started doing some of our deliveries with one. The next step was to get an electric scooter which was destined for the dumpster and we managed to kind of renovate it with a rebuilt battery and now the newest phase is to be able to charge these two items with solar panels and as of last week we have acquired our first electric vehicle for some of our staff to move around; directors; and this will also be directly charged from the solar up top.

Electric mobility has started the last couple years with motorcycles and with the vehicle it’s pretty much one of the first cases around and we’re really excited about this technology and the launching of charging stations someday in the near future hopefully.

We hope that we can use this to add on to our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and make our business a bit more responsible. And all the tenants around especially, hopefully they’ll be able to benefit from some of these ideas and start taking advantage over the coming months. So yeah, here we are, that’s what we’re gonna do and that’s what the future has in store. Bye!

Solar plant about to be commissioned: installation complete.

07th September 2022

We successfully completed the installation of the 35 kWp solar rooftop system for Yujo Izakaya. Now it is just a matter of final steps and tests before the solar rooftop plant will start operating.

Next time you hear from us, the solar rooftop system for Yujo Izakaya will produce green electricity.

Stay tuned for the coming photos and videos!

PS: Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to see the video from the commissioning of our new solar rooftop plant!

Worker on the roof with the solar plant of Yujo Izakaya, Kampala, Uganda.

Several sustainable companies will benefit from the solar rooftop system on the roof of Yujo Izakaya. The solar plant is about to be commissioned and Yujo Izakaya will be supplied with green solar power.

35 kWp solar plant for Yujo Izakaya: construction moving forward

10th August 2022

The construction of the 35 kWp solar system for Yujo Izakaya is progressing steadily. The first panels are attached to the mounting structure and the solar system will soon begin to supply clean solar power. Everyone will benefit from this:
Yujo Izakaya can reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to environmental and climate protection. The sustainable business community that consists of multiple sustainable businesses, is thus becoming even greener! The businesses also save on electricity costs because our solar energy solution is cheaper than electricity from the grid or from diesel generators. This improves the economic situation for the companies – there is more money left for other important purchases. And last but not least, our impact investors benefit – because on the one hand they get paid a profitable interest rate, and on the other hand they get to enjoy the feeling of taking a step towards the global sustainable development that our world needs.

Green finance – a profitable investment strategy? An interview with the COO of enPower.life

26th July 2022

Our COO Behzad Aghababazadeh just completed the Blended Learning on Green Energy and Climate Finance from renewables academy RENAC. In this brief interview, he shares some of the most surprising insights, and how green energy and climate finance helps impact investors.

 

  1. Behzad, you just completed a course on Green Energy and Climate Finance from renewables academy RENAC. What was this all about?

The course provides a comprehensive overview of financing of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects from the bank’s perspective. I have always applied such financing methods as an engineer, but this course deepened my existing knowledge and taught me additional skills.

 

  1. What is green finance, and how does it relate to our clients as well as our impact investors?

Green finance is all about redirecting the flow of money from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to sustainable development priorities. It is a partnership between the three main stakeholders: the government, businesses, and citizens. For citizens, it comes down to their awareness of sustainable options, their willingness to pay for them, and whether they live an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

With enPower.life, we want to offer citizens a way in which they can contribute to sustainable development whilst benefitting themselves. Citizens of developed countries in the EU, and in particular Germany because that is where we are based, have the opportunity to invest in solar energy projects and benefit from profitable interest rates and positively impact society. At the same time, we offer a more environmentally friendly lifestyle for the citizens of emerging markets.

 

  1. Wouldn’t investors make more money from traditional (non-green) investments though?

Often when we speak about green or climate finance many people believe that it is a type of donation, but the interesting point is that whilst we are helping the planet and making society fairer, evidence is mounting that green businesses offer more economically sustainable and higher returns for investors than non-green investments.

 

  1. What is the most surprising thing you learned in your course?

I believe the way that the banks are conducting the project due diligence was a real anchor point in all these topics. You clearly see how they think and evaluate things while as an engineer, you may never have seen such aspects of the project – and even if you have, you don’t know how to manage it. For example, this includes the risk evaluation of the projects and risk mitigation measures that can be applied to minimize the identified risks.

 

  1. Why was this course important to you?

It is always nice that you can participate in a diverse environment of professionals who are practicing same thing in different corners of the world and who share their experiences. It gives you a more holistic approach to the reality of the industry and provides better solutions and new food for thought.

enPower.life solar panels for Yujo Izakaya have arrived!

18th July 2022

We are so excited and humbled to announce that the solar panels, inverters, and mounting structures for the 35 kWp solar plant for sustainable business community Yujo Izakaya have arrived in Kampala!

We will shortly begin the installation of the solar plant in cooperation with our partner EQUATOR SOLAR. Transitioning to solar energy is a big step for Yujo Izakaya and CEO and founder Hanif Rehemtulla is excited to power his restaurant with clean energy soon. We also want to extend a warm THANK YOU to all our supporters and impact investors. Together, we are changing the energy landscape and contributing to a more sustainable world as outlined in the UN sustainable development goals.

Watch the short video with Hanif to see how excited he is!

enPower.life on Fingreen: Everything on sustainable investing!

28 June 2022

We are happy about the new cooperation with Fingreen! Fingreen brings consumers and investors closer to everything about green investments as a basis for sustainable development. enPower.life is now also listed on Fingreen, joining a list of other leading sustainable companies.

If you want to invest sustainably, you can find comprehensive information on Fingreen and learn everything about green stocks, green funds/EFTs, and sustainable investment strategies. Make sure you stop by!