Chiemela's Journey from Vision to Impact with Solaris

Solaris is a Nigerian clean energy startup founded in 2021 that provides solar booths, energy bulbs, and micro-energy kits to rural and urban communities. The company employs a 'energy as a service' model and a lease-to-own system for youth entrepreneurs. Despite facing gender bias, funding hurdles, and bureaucratic delays in importing components, Solaris has deployed over ten solar solutions and sold more than 3,000 Pico kits. The company focuses on youth capacity building, having trained over 50 individuals in solar system design and maintenance, and plans to establish a green technology hub incorporating waste management.

• Solaris utilizes a service-based business model to overcome the high cost of solar infrastructure for rural users, deploying solar booths as community energy hubs and selling micro-energy kits. The company has sold over 3,000 Pico kits across Nigeria and deployed more than ten solar solutions in rural areas.
• The company empowers youth through a lease-to-own model where agents, typically aged 18 to 30, pay back a system over 15 months to eventually own it and start micro-businesses. These agents can earn up to ₦200,000 from reselling energy, while remitting ₦30,000 to ₦40,000.

APA

Ashraf, M. (2025). Chiemela's Journey from Vision to Impact with Solaris. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/chiemelas-journey-from-vision-to-impact-with-solaris

Chicago

Ashraf, Manar. Chiemela's Journey from Vision to Impact with Solaris. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/chiemelas-journey-from-vision-to-impact-with-solaris.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ashraf |first1=Manar |title=Chiemela's Journey from Vision to Impact with Solaris |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=18 June 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/chiemelas-journey-from-vision-to-impact-with-solaris |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ashraf2025chiemelas, author = {Ashraf, Manar}, title = {{Chiemela's Journey from Vision to Impact with Solaris}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://afripoli.org/chiemelas-journey-from-vision-to-impact-with-solaris}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }