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.

  • Between 2013 and 2021, 89 solar systems were built in Uganda
  • Solar power is about 20-30% cheaper than electricity from the grid
  • Crowdinvesting is typical in the Uganda solar market

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

 

Video: Commissioning of the 2. enPower.life solar rooftop plant

September 2022

The time has come: We commissioned the second enPower.life solar system! – a 35 kWp rooftop system for the sustainable business community Yujo Izakaya. From now on, the system reliably supplies green solar power and supplies Yujo Izakaya with renewable energy at low cost. We thank our EPC partner EQUATOR SOLAR for the successful cooperation. Of course we were right there during the commissioning and captured the moment via camera so we can share a video from behind the scenes with you:

Yujo Izakaya is the name of the restaurant in the heart of Kampala run by Hanif Rehemtulla. And in addition to building his restaurant, Hanif has brought together several sustainable businesses that form the Yujo Izakaya business community. All of the companies that belong to Yujo Izakaya are designed for sustainability and are now benefiting from the new solar system. The solar system enables companies to act even more climate-friendly – and to save costs for electricity. Because the enPower.life solar solutions are cheaper for companies than electricity from the grid or diesel generators.

At this point we would also like to thank our impact investors who share our vision of making the world a more sustainable place. With your investment, you all contributed to the fact that we were able to successfully commission this solar system. We look forward to continuing to have you on board as an investor in order to be able to supply even more sustainable companies in Uganda with renewable solar energy.

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.

One year at Aquarius Kigo Resort

27th June 2022

We are pleased to celebrate our project’s first year anniversary at Aquarius Kigo Resort. enPower.life commissioned the 28 kWp isolated grid solar plant at Aquarius Kigo Resort on the 26th of June 2021. Within the past 365 days, we have already contributed around 32 MWh of clean, affordable, and reliable solar energy into the resort’s daily consumption which resulted in 16.88 tons of CO2 savings equal to avoiding almost 67,740 km of a passenger car traveling. On this occasion, we also talked in a friendly interview with Mr. Fard Kutesa, the General Operational Manager of the resort, to hear his experience from the time the plant was installed until today. We invite you to watch this interview about their experiences and we remind you not to miss the last 5 minutes if you want to see the resort’s solar power plant and its components.

Enjoy watching!

 

Holistic Renewable Energy Solutions for the Tea Industries in Uganda: enPower.life, GIZ, and Equator Solar conference.

21st June 2022

Tea is one of Uganda’s main exports and the tea industry plays an important role in the country’s economy. In cooperation with GIZ and EQUATOR SOLAR, enPower.life recently held a seminar at the Aquarius Kigo Resort in Kampala to jointly develop holistic renewable energy solutions for the tea industry.

Our on-site financial expert, Natalia Walton, presented our tailor-made solar energy solutions and showed how financing is also possible for small and medium-sized companies thanks to our unique business model.

enpowerlife representative Natalia Walton at the conference hosted by the GIZ and Equator Solar about holistic solar energy solutions for the tea industry in Uganda.

Our finance expert Natalia Walton at the conference hosted by the GIZ and Equator Solar on holistic solar energy solutions for the tea industry in Uganda.

Animated: The CO2 savings of the enPower.life solar plant in Uganda in August

07 September 2021

The CO2 savings report for August is out now! The enPower.life solar plant for the first 5-star eco hotel in Uganda, the Aquarius Kigo Resort, has been operating for several months. In the past month of August, our system generated a total of 2417.71 kWh of green solar power. That means we saved 1.7 tons of CO2. And that is a significant amount we are proud of:

To absorb 1.7 tons of CO2, it would have taken 28 tree seedlings (small trees) a period of 10 years.

1.7 tons of CO2 are the CO2 emissions that result from charging 208 421 smartphones.

1.7 tons of CO2 are released when an average car travels 6930 km. The distance from Hamburg to Munich is around 780 km. And even Moscow is only around 2100 km away from Hamburg!

We have created this short animation to illustrate the data.

We use this CO2 calculator for our calculations.