What SolarAfrica does

SolarAfrica Energy Pty Ltd is a South African commercial and industrial renewable energy solutions provider founded in 2011 in Centurion by James Irons and David McDonald. Following its August 2023 merger with Starsight Energy, the combined platform operates across seven African countries with 520MW of installed and contracted solar capacity, 60MWh of battery energy storage, and a development pipeline exceeding 2GW.

The company's product platform spans on-site solar (delivered via capex-free Power Purchase Agreements, outright cash purchase, or roof rental models), commercial battery energy storage systems for backup power and peak shaving, electricity wheeling via utility-scale solar farms, multi-source energy trading under a NERSA trading licence, gas-to-power peaking solutions, utility-scale biogas, and Renewable Energy Certificates. Differentiated technical components include a R1 billion Main Transmission Substation with 2GW evacuation capacity enabling one-to-many bilateral wheeling, deployments of SolarEdge SafeDC inverter technology, and Sungrow PowerTitan battery systems including an 11 MWh installation at Trade Route Mall - billed as the largest retail BESS in Africa. Anchor customers include Ford (13.5 MW solar carport at Silverton), Trade Route Mall, Unilever, Toyota, Mediclinic, Singita, Tiger Brands, Nestlé, Afgri, Spargs, and Ladismith Cheese, spanning automotive, retail, manufacturing, FMCG, healthcare, hospitality, and agriculture.

SolarAfrica monetises predominantly through subscription-style recurring revenue streams - PPAs and Virtual Power Purchase Agreements with 5 to 25 year contract tenures, battery storage leases of 5 to 10 years, roof rental arrangements, and energy trading contracts - supplemented by outright cash sales. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to C&I businesses typically spending more than R400,000 per month on electricity, supported by industry conference participation, content marketing, and LinkedIn-led thought leadership. Ownership is private, with institutional backing from Helios Investment Partners and African Infrastructure Investment Managers, and the company is part of the Starsight Energy group structure.

Name

SolarAfrica

Legal name

SolarAfrica Energy Pty Ltd

Website

https://solarafrica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SolarAfrica provides commercial and industrial renewable energy solutions across Africa - including on-site solar PPAs, battery storage, electricity wheeling, and energy trading - serving 200+ businesses via its pan-African platform formed through the 2023 merger with Starsight Energy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial & Industrial Renewable Energy Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar Financing, Leasing & Ownership Platforms (Tax Equity, PPA, Securitization) (EUAMABAJ), Utility-Scale PV EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) (EUACAGAB), Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial solar energy
• Power purchase agreements
• Electricity wheeling services
• Battery energy storage
• Renewable energy solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Centurion

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): CAPEX-free solar agreements where businesses receive all benefits of owning a system without expense or hassle of operating one. Customers pay only for solar power consumed at discounted tariffs. No upfront investment, includes insurance, maintenance, monitoring, and panel cleaning.
2. Electricity Wheeling: Virtual Power Purchase Agreements enabling businesses to buy 100% green electricity from SolarAfrica's solar farms at tariffs up to 50% cheaper than Eskom. Power gets credited against normal monthly bills. No installation needed.
3. Energy Trading: Partnership with reputable energy traders to buy electricity through flexible contracts. Businesses can diversify energy mix across solar, wind, and other sources with competitive rates and transparent billing.
4. Battery Storage Solutions: Commercial battery storage solutions providing clean and constant power. Can be purchased outright (cash) or leased through capex-free agreements ranging from 5-10 years.
5. Cash Purchase: Businesses can purchase entire commercial solar energy systems in a single payment with complete ownership and responsibility.
6. Roof Rental: Monetization of unused commercial roof space for property owners (shopping centres, strip malls) with no upfront investment required.
7. Gas-to-Power: Gas-powered systems with capex-free agreements. Integrated with solar solutions for additional electricity savings and peak shaving opportunities.
8. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs): Virtual certificates allowing businesses to account for carbon emission reductions and meet net-zero goals. 100% virtual, no installation required.
9. Biogas: Utility-scale biogas farm providing green gas resources. Capex-free agreements through off-take agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SolarAfrica designs, finances, and operates commercial and industrial renewable energy solutions across Africa. It delivers on-site solar PV systems (via Power Purchase Agreements, cash purchase, or roof rental), battery energy storage systems, electricity wheeling through utility-scale solar farms, virtual energy trading, gas-to-power, biogas, and renewable energy certificates. The company primarily serves medium-to-large commercial and industrial businesses under capex-free subscription-style contracts.

Product overview

SolarAfrica offers a diversified energy solutions platform for commercial and industrial businesses in South Africa. The core product suite consists of on-site solar solutions (delivered via Power Purchase Agreement, cash purchase, or roof rental models), battery energy storage systems (BESS) for backup and peak shaving, and virtual power solutions including electricity wheeling and energy trading that deliver off-site renewable energy via Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs). Additional offerings include gas-to-power, biogas, and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The company operates both distributed C&I rooftop solar assets (held through its CESA subsidiary — approximately 90 MW across 134 sites) and utility-scale projects (SunCentral program targeting 1 GW in the Northern Cape; recently acquired 1.5 GW Nyakallo project in Limpopo). Following its 2023 merger with Starsight Energy, the combined entity operates across seven African countries with a portfolio of ~520 MW solar and 60 MWh battery storage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SunCentral: Utility-scale solar project program targeting 1 GW capacity, currently in Phase 1 development with SunCentral 1 (114 MW completed end 2024), SunCentral 2 (114 MW, financial close 2026), and SunCentral 3 planned
• CESA (Commercial Energy South Africa)

Products and services

• Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Capex-free solar financing agreement where SolarAfrica installs, owns, and maintains a commercial solar energy system on the customer's property; the customer pays only for the solar electricity consumed at tariffs up to 50% cheaper than Eskom. Includes insurance, monitoring, maintenance, and panel cleaning.
• Solar Cash Purchase

Quantifiable outcome

• Solar tariffs up to 50% cheaper than Eskom
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic acquisition, development partner, core partnership and flagship merger.

• Norsk Renewablesstrategic acquisitionStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026SolarAfrica entered an agreement to acquire the Nyakallo solar project from Norsk Renewables. Located in Limpopo, Nyakallo is a 1.5 GW utility-scale solar and battery storage project expected to deliver grid-connected renewable power from H2 2028. Norsk Renewables will continue to support the project through development, financing preparation, and commercialisation.
• Green Solldevelopment partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Green Soll provided development support for the Nyakallo solar project, advancing the project through early-stage milestones including grid connection, permitting, and initial design.
• POWERXcore partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025SolarAfrica secured a 60 MW deal with POWERX, enabling clean and affordable power access for South African businesses, boosting sustainability through the partnership.
• Starsight Energyflagship mergerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 August 2023SolarAfrica and Starsight Energy merged in August 2023 to form a pan-African clean energy platform. The combined entity has 520MW of solar power, 60MWh of battery storage, and a pipeline exceeding 2GW, operating across seven African countries with expansion plans for Tanzania and Uganda.

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Distributed Energy (formerly SOLA Group): South African C&I-focused solar and storage PPA provider directly competing with SolarAfrica for the same enterprise customers (e.g., retail, manufacturing, automotive) using a similar capex-free PPA, wheeling, and BESS model. Closest functional and commercial competitor in the South African C&I renewables market.
• New Southern Energy: South African renewable energy solutions provider offering solar PV, battery storage, and energy advisory to C&I clients. Directly comparable as a domestic mid-market competitor in the same product set (solar PPA, BESS, advisory) and customer verticals.
• Energy Partners (a Macron Energy brand): South African integrated energy solutions company delivering solar PV, hybrid solutions, and energy efficiency to industrial clients. Comparable product portfolio (solar, storage, advisory) and enterprise customer base, with overlapping presence in the South African C&I renewables space.
• JUWI South Africa: Subsidiary of German EPC JUWI, active in South African utility-scale and C&I solar EPC. Competes directly with SolarAfrica for utility-scale solar construction and selected C&I EPC contracts, leveraging international EPC capabilities and capital backing.

Broad incumbents

• Scatec ASA: Norwegian-listed independent power producer with operating renewable assets in Africa (including South Africa). Overlaps with SolarAfrica in utility-scale solar development and IPP economics, with broader geographic and technology diversification.
• Globeleq: UK-based, Africa-focused power development and operating company with a portfolio of generation assets across the continent. Comparable as a large-scale African renewables IPP, though broader in technology mix and typically larger utility-scale rather than C&I-focused.
• Enel Green Power: Global renewable energy IPP with a presence in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable as a utility-scale solar developer and operator; broader and more diversified than SolarAfrica but competes for large-scale renewable opportunities.
• Mainstream Renewable Power: Global renewables developer with significant wind and solar pipeline in South Africa (e.g., Round 5 REIPPPP projects). Comparable as a utility-scale renewables developer with African footprint, though more focused on wind and grid-scale auctions than C&I PPAs.
• EDF Renewables (Africa): Global IPP with utility-scale renewable projects across Africa, including South Africa. Comparable at the utility-scale IPP level, competing for the same large-scale development opportunities and grid-connection rights.

Emerging players

• African Clean Energy (ACE): South African renewable energy provider focused on C&I and selected utility projects in Southern Africa. Comparable target customer base and geographic focus, though smaller in scale and with a less developed wheeling offering than SolarAfrica.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SolarAfricaSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solarafricasa
• Facebookfacebook.com/solarafricasa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SolarAfrica