South Africa headquartered commercial and industrial (C&I) solar solutions company, SolarAfrica Energy, has announced the completion of a merger with Nigeria-based company Starsight Energy, creating a leading Pan-Africa C&I solar conglomerate.
The merged group is backed by Helios Investment Partners (Helios) and African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM). The group now boasts an installed and contracted portfolio of 520 MW in solar power generation assets, and 60 MWh of battery storage assets.
The group also revealed that it has an additional energy pipeline exceeding 2 GW, employs 275 people combined, and now operates in seven African countries.
“The supply of renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa is relatively fragmented with several suppliers in the market. This merger is a substantial step for us and will provide a true pan-African platform to deliver clean renewable energy in key economies,” said Paul van Zijl, Group CEO.
“This merger will enhance our current capabilities and allow us to deploy Energy and Cooling as a Service on a much larger scale. This is therefore a story of growth. Not only for Starsight Energy and SolarAfrica but also for the renewable energy landscape in Africa,” Van Zijl added.
In addition to key markets Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa, the group is working on imminent expansion into Tanzania and Uganda. It brings a range of renewable energy solutions to the table, with solar energy, battery storage and cooling at the top of the list.
“We are excited about making a meaningful contribution to power supply on the continent through our on- and off-site solutions. This will help take pressure off national grids which have been under significant strain in many of the core African markets,” said Charl Alheit, Group Chief Investment Officer.
The merged group will retain a strong presence within the various countries to further strengthen its footprint across Africa.
“We do not believe in a fly-in fly-out model and will have ‘boots on the ground’ in our geographies. Our country teams consist of dedicated in-country management as well as sales and technical teams who represent our ethos, whilst being supported by the wider group management,” said Van Zijl.
“It’s important to have strong representation in each geography with teams who know and understand their markets and are passionate about transforming these markets into green energy hubs. That’s something both SolarAfrica and Starsight Energy have always had in common: we know that the people in our business have always been the reason for our success, and this new chapter will be no different,” Alheit concluded.
