ImpactAlpha, July 30 – Nairobi-based SunCulture makes solar-powered irrigation pumps and systems, which it sells on credit to small scale farmers. Its products start at $390.
EDF is a known name in nuclear power. Its investment in SunCulture is part of the Group’s mission to reach 50-gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030 (up from 28-gigawatts today) and triple it’s customer reach outside of France. This mission includes investing in off-grid power in Africa, where EDF has helped launch two companies in West Africa to sell off-grid home solar systems: Zeci in Côte d’Ivoire and Zegha in Ghana.
SunCulture has sold its products to 1,000 farmers in East Africa, which have, in turn, saved almost two billion liters of water and led to several million dollars in cost savings and revenue increases, according to the company website.
French utility company EDF Group has invested an undisclosed amount in SunCulture to help the company ramp up its product sales and farmer credit program in Kenya and expand to West Africa. The investment marks EDF’s foray into off-grid renewables specifically for agricultural use.
