Husk Power has secured $500,000 funding in the form of a grant from Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach (H2R) initiative to support Husk’s entry into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the world’s second largest population living without access to electricity. Husk will use the funds to establish a corporate presence in the DRC, obtain necessary government approvals, build out a robust pipeline of distributed renewable energy projects, and build its first minigrids.
Husk Power’s expansion into the DRC not only advances its ambitious ‘Africa Sunshot’ initiative but also signals a transformative shift for decentralized renewable energy in one of the world’s most energy-starved regions. Under Africa Sunshot, announced at the 2023 Africa Climate Summit, Husk Power targets having 2,500 minigrids on the continent by 2030. The company already operates the largest fleet of community solar minigrids in Nigeria, where 90 million people are still living off grid.
“This catalytic support from H2R is a critical piece of the puzzle for scaling community solar minigrids in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the World Bank says minigrids are the most cost-effective way to electrify 380 million people,” said CEO and co-founder Manoj Sinha. “We look forward to partnering closely with the government to scale our solutions in the DRC on an accelerated timeline, and directly contributing to the goals of Mission 300, a World Bank and African Development initiative to electrify 300 million people by the end of the decade.”
Acumen’s H2R aims to electrify 72 million people in sub-Saharan Africa over ten years by scaling solar solutions in underserved markets.
“We are thrilled to support Husk’s expansion the DRC at this crucial time, as it has the potential to transform lives by creating millions of affordable and clean energy connections in a highly underserved market where nearly 80 million people still lack access to electricity. Husk’s expansion to the DRC could be a game-changer by bringing light and opportunity to communities that have been left behind,” said Sandra Halilovic, head of Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach Development Facility.
Acumen Hardest-to-Reach is a $250 million initiative designed to activate clean energy markets in 16 of Africa’s underserved geographies. Using a variety of financial instruments, H2R invests in off-grid solar companies working to provide energy access for unelectrified households.
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