GREENLIGHT-PLANET-INC
22.9.2020 15:02:45 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Greenlight Planet Inc., the largest provider of solar-powered home energy products in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, has secured $90 million in new funding to expand its Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) solar consumer financing business and consolidate its debt portfolio. Akira Partners and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe advised Greenlight Planet.
Under its Sun King brand, Greenlight Planet operates the largest direct-to-consumer PAYG solar distribution and service network in the world, having delivered over 1.3 million PAYG solar products to date in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria, expanding at a rate of over 65,000 new rooftop solar installations per month. The company employs 1,250 full-time staff worldwide, and over 5,500 sales agents, 30% of whom are women, across areas of sub-Saharan Africa suffering from high levels of unemployment.
The new debt and equity investments were provided by European development finance institutions CDC Group, FMO, and Norfund, along with impact investors ResponsAbility, SIMA Funds, Symbiotics, Global Partnerships, and private equity firm ARCH Emerging Markets Partners’ Africa Renewable Power Fund. Of the total $90 million in committed funding, $69 million has been disbursed to the company, with the balance to be drawn down as the company delivers additional solar-powered home energy systems, with end-consumer financing, to homes in Africa.
Sun King solar products include home lighting, mobile phone chargers, radios, televisions, and fans, as well as the solar panels and batteries to power these appliances. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, such solar-powered home energy systems have proven all the more essential to families spending more time at home. Families depend on Sun King energy access and appliances for light, communication, entertainment, and access to news and information.
Greenlight Planet’s Sun King solar-powered home energy systems have a profound social impact for off-grid families around the world. Sixty million individuals across 65 countries have used them to access clean, renewable energy. This access to energy increases the time children spend studying, increases productivity for small businesses, and reduces spending on old-fashioned energy products. Sun King products have saved over $3.4 billion on fossil-fuel-based energy costs, reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by more than 14 million metric tons.
T. Patrick Walsh, Co-founder and CEO of Greenlight Planet added, “Greenlight Planet’s goal is to bring affordable, clean energy to every under-electrified household that needs it. After a decade of honing our solar technology and our solar distribution, installation, and service strategy, we are now jumping the last hurdle to solve this global challenge, that being financial inclusion. We are expanding access to consumer financing, making basic solar power available to all people, at a cost as low as $0.15 per day. We are delighted to work with CDC, Norfund, FMO, ResponsAbility, SIMA Funds, Symbiotics, Global Partnerships and ARCH to expand access to finance and access to energy.”
Geoffrey Manley, Director and Head of Energy Access and Efficiency at CDC Group added, “Our financing of Greenlight Planet provides our team with a great opportunity to support a company that is creating jobs and taking meaningful strides to fight climate change. We’re thrilled that our commitment promotes the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, helping to facilitate economic development across the African continent.”
William Barry, Managing Director at ARCH Africa Renewable Power Fund (ARPF) added, “ARCH ARPF is delighted to support Greenlight Planet’s continued growth as it delivers on its mandate to expand energy access across sub-Saharan Africa. Greenlight's global market leadership in the off-grid solar sector positions the company strongly within ARPF’s expanding off-grid renewable energy portfolio, complementing our existing utility-scale, independent-power-producer development pipeline.”
About Greenlight Planet
Greenlight Planet is a social-mission, for-profit business that since 2009 has sold over 13 million of its Sun King solar home energy products to off-grid customers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The company reaches customers through its direct-to-consumer distribution and financing network, as well as wholesale partnerships with over 300 commercial and non-profit last-mile distributors, ranging from mobile network operators, to microfinance institutions, to oil and gas companies, to NGOs. Greenlight Planet’s Sun King products are currently installed in over 65 countries and have served 60 million people.
Find out more at https://www.greenlightplanet.com .
About the Off-Grid Solar Industry:
Relevant (unaffiliated) aggregators of industry information include the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association and Lighting Global (a platform of the World Bank Group, to support sustainable growth of the international off-grid solar market)
www.gogla.org
www.lightingglobal.org
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200922005395/en/
Link:
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/SunKingIndia/?brand_redir=106681909393159
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Yamaha to Acquire Disguise, Expanding Its Capabilities in Integrated Audio, Video, Lighting and Media13.11.2026 08:00:00 CET | Press release
Acquisition combines Yamaha’s audio expertise with Disguise’s software and media server technologies Yamaha Corporation today announced an agreement to acquire Disguise Technologies Limited (“Disguise”), a London-based provider of software and media server technologies for live and immersive experiences. Yamaha will acquire the company by purchasing all shares in its parent, Butterfly Topco Limited. The acquisition will expand Yamaha’s capabilities beyond audio into integrated audio, video, lighting and media solutions, in line with its strategy to expand beyond hardware into software and services. By combining Yamaha’s audio expertise and global reach with Disguise’s software, technologies and worldwide partner network, the companies will be better positioned to deliver immersive experiences across live entertainment, sports and other venues. Disguise’s technology powers live and immersive experiences worldwide, including tours by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift and venues such as New York’s
Mexico Becomes the First Market Worldwide to Receive Approval for Galderma’s Restylane® Shaype™ for Both Chin and Its First Jawline Indication13.11.2026 07:00:00 CET | Press release
Restylane Shaype is now approved in Mexico for temporary augmentation in the chin area and improvement of jawline definition,1 with launch anticipated in H1 2027 Already approved across various markets globally for the chin area,2 this marks Restylane Shaype’s first approval for the jawline worldwide1 The first-and-only shaper on the hyaluronic acid (HA) market, Restylane Shaype features the firmest HA gel available and is powered by proprietary NASHA HD™ technology, developed to build and shape on bone for instant, natural-looking contour and definition3-6 The approval reinforces Galderma's commitment to advancing innovation in the HA category, enabling the company to meet diverse patient needs Galderma (SIX: GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced that Restylane Shaype has been approved for temporary augmentation in the chin area and improvement of jawline definition in Mexico.1 This is the product’s first approval globally for the jawline, and further expan
vVARDIS Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering13.11.2026 06:02:00 CET | Press release
vVARDIS Holding AG (“vVARDIS”), a Swiss healthcare company operating in the dental med-tech sector, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 9,722,223 Class A ordinary shares at a public offering price of $18.00 per share. In connection with the offering, vVARDIS has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,458,333 Class A ordinary shares at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments. The Class A ordinary shares are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on November 13, 2026 under the symbol “VVVV.” The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about November 16, 2026 subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan are acting as joint bookrunning managers for the offering, with William Blair, UBS Investment Bank and Deutsche Bank Securities acting as bookrunners. A registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the offering has been file
Empire State Building Observation Deck to Debut ‘Olympus Awaits,’ An Immersive ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Takeover in the Heart of NYC, On Display from Nov. 16 – Dec. 4*12.11.2026 23:07:00 CET | Press release
The multi-level takeover includes a Throne Room, interactive photo opportunities, special lighting, and more The Empire State Building (ESB) is the gateway to Mount Olympus in Percy Jackson’s world, and now fans can experience the magic like never before. On Nov. 16, the Empire State Building Observation Deck (ESBOD) will unveil “Olympus Awaits,” a multi-level “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” takeover, in partnership with Disney+. The immersive takeover – included with every Observation Deck ticket – will feature an epic Throne Room, interactive photo opportunities, surprise giveaways, ESB x “Percy Jackson” merch, and more, available through Dec. 4, 2026.* This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261112442266/en/ Empire State Building Observation Deck to Debut ‘Olympus Awaits,’ An Immersive ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Takeover in the Heart of NYC, On Display from Nov. 16 – Dec. 4* “This immersive NYC experience
Clene Nanomedicine Partners with Veristat to Reduce Biostatistical Output Time by 80% for ALS New Drug Application12.11.2026 18:09:00 CET | Press release
Veristat’s InStat™ delivers submission-ready tables, listings, and figures (TLFs) in one week using validated statistical engines, shortening the critical path from database lock to submission VeristatTM, a global clinical research organization (CRO) and consultancy specializing in complex studies, announced that it has partnered with Clene Nanomedicine to cut the time to deliver biostatistical outputs for a pivotal ALS drug application submission by 80%. Veristat reduced the time from study data to validated tables, listings and figures (TLFs) from up to six weeks to just one week. Clene, a late-stage biotech company, leveraged Veristat’s recently launched InStat™ platform, the industry’s first zero-code, fully automated solution to accelerate clinical trial processes. Biostatistical TLFs sit on the critical path for submissions, yet most sponsors rely on antiquated processes that involve slow, manual workflows to produce them, making post-database lock one of the biggest bottlenecks
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom