DRE Impact Stories

The document presents a series of case studies on distributed renewable energy (DRE) infrastructure projects across Africa, primarily funded by Team Europe. These initiatives utilize solar mini-grids and solar home systems (SHS) to provide electricity to off-grid rural communities in Madagascar, Uganda, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, and Sierra Leone, focusing on socio-economic development, gender empowerment, and climate mitigation.

• The Angovo project in Madagascar's Atsimo-Andrefana Region aims to install over 3.5 MWp of green energy infrastructure, with 1,656 kWp already installed. The project targets 15,600 clients and approximately 70,000 beneficiaries, with a total budget of EUR 21,964,000, including a EUR 7,420,000 grant.
• In Uganda, ENGIE Energy Access is implementing a project to electrify over 1,248,000 people through solar-home systems (SHS). As of November 2024, 203,387 households were connected, including 67,450 SHS sold to women-led houses, which has avoided 40,000 cumulative tonnes of CO2 emissions.
• The Foundation Rural Energy Services (FRES) project portfolio across Mali, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Guinea-Bissau has provided DRE to 46,500 people and avoided 19,400 cumulative tonnes of CO2 emissions. Between 2014 and 2021, FRES realized nearly 10,000 new energy connections for households, small businesses, and community organizations.
• The Les Soleils du Garamba project in the Democratic Republic of Congo aims to connect more than 3,000 customers by 2026, including 500 businesses and 300 schools, to reduce anthropic pressures on the Garamba National Park and mitigate approximately 2,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
• Nuru's project portfolio in the Democratic Republic of Congo has created 2,928 off-grid connections for households, 28 critical services, and 796 SMEs, with a budget of approximately EUR 63,000,000. The initiative has created 116 local full-time jobs, with women making up more than 27% of the workforce.
• One Power Lesotho (1PWR) is developing 11 solar-battery mini-grids to provide electricity to 9,109 households (approx. 32,800 beneficiaries), 68 schools, 20 clinics, and 470 SMEs, with an expected annual mitigation of 2,780 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
• Off-Grid Power (SL) Ltd operates 40 solar hybrid mini-grids in southern and eastern Sierra Leone, providing power to over 99,000 people. The project has generated 255 short-term construction jobs and 96 permanent operational jobs, and provides up to 6 kWh per month of free electricity to community health centres.
• WeLight Madagascar operates 172 solar mini-grids, with a Team Europe-financed portfolio of 118 sites providing energy to 540,000 people, 36,000 households, and 1,050 public buildings. The project has created over 8,100 new jobs related to productive energy use and electrified more than 250 schools, contributing to an estimated 35% increase in official exam pass rates.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (n.d.). DRE Impact Stories. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRE-Impact-Stories-2025.pdf

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. DRE Impact Stories. n.d. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRE-Impact-Stories-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=DRE Impact Stories |url=https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRE-Impact-Stories-2025.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrificationnddre, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{DRE Impact Stories}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, url = {https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRE-Impact-Stories-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }