Ignite Power marked a new record for Rwanda’s solar energy sector, reaching a deployment speed of 1,500 solar home systems per day. In the 10 days since winning a competitive tender issued by Rwanda’s Energy Development Corporation Ltd. (EDCL), Ignite has successfully installed over 14,970 units.
The tender was part of the Rwandan government’s national initiative to expand the use of home solar systems in rural areas.
In Q1 2017 alone, Ignite grew its customer base by over 100% and has become the fastest growing solar company on the continent and the largest rural utility in Rwanda in less than a year of operations. Ignite is now the leading company in the fulfillment of Rwanda’s target to connect 20% of its population to off-grid energy sources by 2018.
To date the company has 250,000 contracted installations over the next two years in Rwanda alone.
The solar home systems supplied by Ignite are the latest technology equipped with a 10-15 watt solar panel; three to four lights; a Lithium long life battery, and a USB cable multiple-points charger. The three to four light unit comes with a 24-month warranty and has a micro lending facility attached that allows clients to pay as little as Rwf 5000, about $6 per month, for two years, after which the client owns the system. Based on information from the survey done by Sun-Connect, Ignite’s systems are the most affordable in East Africa, with a per lumen cost of $0.03, which is about half of any offering available in the region.
Ignite is 99% local, with all installer being local also.