Kivu Green Energy tackles one of Africa’s biggest energy gaps

This case study profiles Kivu Green Energy (KGE), a recipient of the "Energy Access Booster" award, and its efforts to address severe energy deficits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through the deployment of solar-based mini-grids.

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faces extreme energy poverty, ranking among the top 20 energy deficit countries globally. Approximately 83% of the population lacks access to electrification, and less than 20% of the urban population has energy access. The country has an estimated unmet energy demand of 2,929 megawatt (MW), despite a potential solar PV generation capacity of 70 gigawatt (GW).
• Kivu Green Energy (KGE), established in August 2015, focuses on converting diesel-generated power to solar PV and storage in the DRC. KGE's operational milestones include a 35 kilowatt (kW) pilot installation at a university in Beni in 2016 and the June 2017 installation of the first commercial solar PV and storage system in eastern Congo, which utilized a 55kW mini-grid and a 100kVa backup diesel generator to serve over 60 homes, businesses, and organizations.
• KGE employs a business model based on off-grid solar mini-grids in urban areas, utilizing GSM-based smart meters and mobile money payment systems. Future projects include a 1.3MW solar-based hybrid mini-grid in Goma intended to serve 700 households, businesses, and NGO groups.
• KGE has set ambitious scaling targets for its solar-based mini-grids: installing 25MW by 2020, reaching 250MW by 2023, and achieving 1 GW by 2033 to serve 5 million urban customers.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2019). Kivu Green Energy tackles one of Africa’s biggest energy gaps. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/kivu-green-energy-tackles-one-of-africas-biggest-energy-gaps

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Kivu Green Energy tackles one of Africa’s biggest energy gaps. 2019. https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/kivu-green-energy-tackles-one-of-africas-biggest-energy-gaps.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Kivu Green Energy tackles one of Africa’s biggest energy gaps |date=22 March 2019 |url=https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/kivu-green-energy-tackles-one-of-africas-biggest-energy-gaps |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2019kivu, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Kivu Green Energy tackles one of Africa’s biggest energy gaps}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2019}, month = mar, url = {https://www.seforall.org/stories-of-success/kivu-green-energy-tackles-one-of-africas-biggest-energy-gaps}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }