The Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities (PREO) programme has announced grants for 22 innovative productive use of renewable energy (PURE) companies in sub-Saharan Africa as part of its sixth funding round.
Individual grants range from €100,000 up to almost €300,000 and include tailored business support over 12 to 24 months to help companies test, refine and scale their solutions while strengthening operations – with the aim of demonstrating commercial viability and attracting follow-on investment.
A record response reflects sectoral growth
PREO’s latest round attracted a record-breaking 613 eligible applications, signalling growth and momentum across the African PURE sector. This surge was accompanied by significant geographic expansion, with submissions arriving from eight new countries beyond established hubs like Kenya and Nigeria.
Eligibility rates climbed to 84% – a 17% improvement from the previous round – indicating an increasingly investment-ready ecosystem closely aligned with PREO’s mission and objectives of harnessing clean technologies to enhance livelihoods, increase incomes, and build climate resilience. Combined with the increase in demand for funding, the rising quality of applications and the viability of PURE solutions presented points to a rapidly expanding pool of scalable ventures in the sector.
Applicants demonstrated clear commercial intent, collectively committing €73 million in co-financing for their ventures. Most of the applicant companies (84%) operate as for-profit entities, reflecting confidence in the financial viability of their business models. Moreover, 89% of applicants reported majority local ownership, which helps foster strong community ties while reducing environmental, social and governance risks for investors.
The sectoral composition of applications reflected both continuity and evolution. While traditional strengths in agro-processing, solar irrigation, and SME-focused energy solutions continued into this round of funding, applications surged in high-growth areas such as e-mobility, ICT, and energy storage.
Spotlight on grantees
These ventures represent a new generation of PURE enterprises that pair technological sophistication with consumer-friendly business models that reduce barriers to adoption.
Enterprises transforming food value chains by tackling food spoilage and value-chain inefficiencies through solar-powered solutions:
- Agsol (Kenya): solar-compatible grain mills with pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) financing.
- Synnefa Green (Kenya): solar-powered smart dryers integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) and digital traceability tools.
- Samaking (East Africa): a demand-driven farm-to-retail fish aggregation system leveraging solar-powered cold chain infrastructure and digital logistics.
- SolarWorks! Energy (Malawi): a ‘pay-as-you-catch’ consumer finance model for solar-powered night fishing lights to enable deep-water fishing.
- Novel Farm (Uganda): solar-powered milk cooling systems with PAYGO and GPS monitoring.
- Green Eden Farms (Nigeria): low-cost solar-powered cold storage hubs with a digital platform linking farmers to buyers.
- Munakyalo Agrofresh (Uganda): offering solar-powered IoT-enabled cooling hubs through a ‘pay-as-you-store’ system, alongside market linkage services.
- Consistent Energy (Nigeria): a cooling-as-a-service model with locally assembled, solar-powered freezers.
Enterprises advancing climate-smart water solutions centred on solar water pumps:
- Irri Hub (Kenya): PAYGO farming-as-a-service model combining IoT-enabled pumps with agronomy training.
- Delish & Nutri (Kenya): a harvest-linked ‘pay-as-you-grow’ repayment system for solar irrigation systems.
- Spunvertek (Nigeria): flexible lease-to-own and pay-per-use financing models for IOT-enabled pumps, allowing farmers to make in-kind rice repayments and access off-taker markets.
- SunCulture (Kenya): PAYGO solar-powered water purification systems.
- Kijani Testing (Kenya): quality assurance testing and after-sales support infrastructure for solar pumps.
Enterprises accelerating the e-mobility transition by improving adoption of electric motorcycles and three-wheelers.
- Kiri EV (Kenya): organising motorcycle taxis into cooperatives providing low-cost credit and accessible charging facilities.
- Ecobodaa (Kenya): AI-powered platform leveraging IoT data from motorcycles to enable more accurate risk assessment by financiers.
- ZED Motors (Benin): e-motorcycles integrated with a battery-as-a-service offering via automated solar-powered battery dispensers.
- Stima Mobility (Kenya): an interoperable battery infrastructure and asset system freeing riders from proprietary swap networks, accompanied by software-as-a-service solutions.
- S&Y Electrical Material (Ethiopia): an assembly facility for electric three-wheelers powered by lithium-ion batteries.
Enterprises boosting the PURE market through digital platform innovation:
- GreenBay Market (Kenya): digital marketplace focused on certified pre-owned and energy-efficient PURE appliances.
- Koolboks (Nigeria): “Koolbuy” platform enabling any freezer to be repurposed as a smart, solar-powered, PAYGO asset.
Enterprises advancing clean cooking innovation:
- Feion Green Ventures (Kenya): locally manufactured electric pressure cookers for institutional customers through a flexible cooking-as-a-service model.
- Zuhura (Kenya): IoT-enabled hybrid bio-ethanol and solar-powered food vending carts with PAYGO for street food vendors.
A strong case for investment
The latest PREO-supported ventures are poised to deliver comprehensive PURE solutions that are not only efficient, accessible, and affordable, but also climate-conscious and profitable for end users. Harnessing game-changing innovations – including hybrid energy technologies, advanced digital platforms, and flexible business models such as “as-a-service” and “pay-as-you-go” – these projects are well-positioned to demonstrate their commercial viability within the rapidly evolving and high-potential PURE ecosystem in Africa.
“Our grants play a key role in validating and de-risking business models that deliver financial returns, while also generating meaningful social and environmental impact where it is needed most,” says Rhiannon Turner, PREO Programme Manager at the Carbon Trust.
So far, PREO-supported companies have created over 650 sustainable jobs, provided PURE access to more than 23,000 people, and helped avoid approximately 2,200 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
The programme’s track record demonstrates that investing in innovative, impact-driven clean energy enterprises can generate solid financial, environmental, and social returns. As Africa’s PURE sector continues to grow, there is a clear opportunity for mission-aligned capital to help unlock new markets and support scalable, long-term impact.megrown innovation in the clean energy sector.