Kenya A social business is building electrical mini-grids in western Kenya

There is great demand for clean, affordable and reliable energy in the rural regions of Kenya and many other countries. However, national grid construction in Kenya is proceeding only slowly, and is very expensive. This leads to great interest in local and affordable solutions for electricity supply. Green mini-grids are sustainable and easily implemented. At the same time, installation of the solar power arrays and other supplementary components such as drinking water treatment and biogas plants is a future-oriented business sector.

The Kenyan Government also regards the mini-grids as a cheap and efficient option for supplying remote rural areas with electricity. It is further committed to improving population access to clean water.

RVE.SOL installed a pilot mini-grid in western Kenya in 2011, and has since extended this to other municipalities to supply over 3,500 households with electricity and drinking water. To upscale this successful model, initially in Kenya and then throughout East Africa, RVE.SOL formed KUDURA Power East Africa Ltd. The goal is to be the leading developer and operator of green mini-grids. Subsequently InfraCo Africa invested in the company to fund the next phase of growth.

The KUDURA system is housed in a secure, weatherproof container which holds a drinking water treatment system and an electricity supply primarily based on solar technology. The drinking water is taken from local sources and purified by ultrafiltration. The system can also turn cow dung into biogas, giving people a clean alternative to cooking with firewood or charcoal. The whole plant is monitored and controlled by a central remote system. RVE.SOL’s own smart meter system (kPOWER) manages all the data and offers various mobile payment options.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, KUDURA has evolved in recent years into one of Kenya’s biggest private mini-grid developers The company acquired new investors and partners for installing more mini-grids, and connected over 3,500 households and 10,000 customers to its local electricity grids. The KUDURA system is easy to install and maintain, and should have a service life of at least 20 years.

The green electricity supply and avoidance of expensive kerosene or diesel offer the population new sustainable development prospects, and the availability of clean drinking water improves their health. In this way, profit for the company goes hand-in-hand with climate and environmental protection and improved living conditions for the population.