Industry: Sustainability / Distributed Renewable Energy

HQ: Jaza Energy (Canada, operations Tanzania & Nigeria); Solar Panda (Toronto, Canada)

Focus: Off‑grid, pay‑as‑you‑go solar energy for households and small businesses

Part A: Jaza Energy – Solar Hubs Run by Women

Jaza Energy builds community‑scale solar charging stations in villages that the grid doesn’t reach. Each hub is a small solar installation that charges portable lithium‑ion battery packs. Households rent a pack for a small daily fee, use it to power lights, phones, and small appliances at home, and swap it for a freshly charged one when it’s empty.

• Every hub is operated by local women (called “Jaza Stars”), trained as customer‑service and management micro‑entrepreneurs.

• Over 100 rural communities in Tanzania and Nigeria are now served.

• There’s no upfront cost, no credit check – just a daily rental. This breaks down the affordability barrier that blocks many rural families from accessing electricity.

• Recognition: CVCA 2025 VC Regional Impact Award (Atlantic Canada).

By placing women at the centre of the energy ecosystem, Jaza creates stable livelihoods while solving a basic infrastructure gap.

Part B: Solar Panda – Rent‑to‑Own Solar from a Canadian Startup

Solar Panda sells a complete solar home system – a rooftop panel, a battery, and efficient appliances – on a rent‑to‑own model. Customers pay a small deposit and then as little as 50 cents a day via local mobile‑money apps. After one to three years of payments, the household owns the system and gets free electricity thereafter.

• Currently provides power to roughly 2 million people across 400,000 homes in Kenya, Zambia, Benin, and Senegal.

• The systems are Canadian‑designed, but supported by 60 shops and thousands of local field agents.

• The human impact is visceral – COO Brett Bergman describes a customer who hugged him on meeting, saying her children no longer cough from kerosene fumes while doing homework.

Why Distributed Solar Matters

In 2025, about 4.5 gigawatts of new solar capacity was installed in Africa, up 54 % year‑on‑year. Nearly half of that was “distributed” – privately financed rooftop and community systems like Jaza’s and Solar Panda’s. The Global Solar Council calls these “a core growth engine” that struggles to attract large public investment. That makes the role of patient, private companies like Jaza and Solar Panda absolutely essential.

References

• Jaza Energy – Dalhousie University, “Spotlight: Sebastian Manchester,” June 2023.

• Jaza Energy – Start Up Energy Transition profile, 2022.

• Jaza Energy – CVCA LinkedIn award announcement, May 2025.

• Solar Panda – CBC News, “Canadian solar firms bring power to rural Africa,” March 2026.

• Solar Panda – Globe and Mail profile, November 2022.