What Solar Electric Light Fund does

Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1990 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., that designs, implements, and finances solar energy projects for off-grid rural communities in the developing world. The organization operates under a Whole Village Development Model in which solar infrastructure is deployed at the community level — powering schools, clinics, water systems, streetlights, agricultural irrigation, micro-enterprise centers, and households together rather than as isolated home systems. Core technology is conventional solar photovoltaic engineering applied across a portfolio of use cases: solar home systems, community microgrids, solar-powered drip irrigation (the Solar Market Garden model), direct-drive (battery-free) vaccine refrigerators, solar water pumping and distribution, solar-electric cookstoves (ECOCA, Lytefire), and solar streetlighting. SELF also operates Haiti's National Solar Training Center in partnership with Haiti Tec, creating a vocational pipeline for local photovoltaic technicians.

SELF does not sell products or services commercially. Revenue is generated entirely through grants, donations, and partnerships: individual donations (cash, stocks, cryptocurrency, donor-advised funds, IRA planned giving), foundation grants (notably the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations Grant and the Sempra Foundation), corporate sponsorships, and government funding (Millennium Challenge Corporation compact with Benin, 2023). Beneficiary communities are reached through direct project implementation — SELF's core team plus country-level senior technicians and project coordinators execute installations alongside local partners, with community input shaping design and local technicians trained for ongoing maintenance.

Over 35 years, SELF has installed more than 650 solar energy systems across 25+ countries on five continents and reports bringing electricity to more than 1 million people. The organization is led by Executive Director Robert A. Freling (in role since 1997) with a 15+ member core team and a 5-person Board of Directors. External validation includes the UNFCCC Momentum for Change Lighthouse Award (2015, COP21), Gates Grand Challenges grant (2012), King Hussein Leadership Prize (2008), Tech Awards Laureate (2008), and World Bank Development Marketplace winner (2006); Stanford University published peer-reviewed research in PNAS documenting impact of the Solar Market Garden program.

Name

Solar Electric Light Fund

Legal name

Solar Electric Light Fund

Website

https://self.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, installs, and finances solar energy infrastructure for off-grid rural communities across 25+ countries, using a Whole Village Development Model that powers clinics, schools, water systems, agriculture, and households simultaneously rather than individual homes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Off-grid solar project implementation services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Distributed Generation (DG) Solar & Small Wind (EUAMAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB), Solar Project Development & IPP (Utility-Scale & Rooftop) (EUAMABAA), Solar Design, Engineering & Performance Software (PV Modeling, Digital Twins, Monitoring) (EUAMABAH)

Keywords

• Off-grid solar electrification
• Rural renewable energy
• Solar water pumping
• Solar vaccine refrigeration
• Community microgrid development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: SELF accepts one-time and monthly donations from individuals in the form of cash, stocks, cryptocurrency, or donor-advised funds. Donors can also give through IRA donations or planned giving programs.
2. Foundation Grants: SELF receives grants from foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Grand Challenges Explorations Grant), Sempra Foundation, and other institutional funders.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Companies can sponsor or co-sponsor SELF projects. The organization also accepts in-kind donations from companies within the solar energy space.
4. Government Partnerships: SELF receives funding from governmental organizations including the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for international development projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, installs, and finances solar PV infrastructure for off-grid rural communities across 25+ countries. Its portfolio spans solar home systems, solar-powered water pumps, clinic and vaccine refrigerator electrification, school electrification, community microgrids, Solar Market Garden drip irrigation, solar cooking appliances, and solar streetlighting, all delivered as integrated community-scale projects under the Whole Village Development Model rather than as standalone commercial products.

Product overview

Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a nonprofit organization that implements solar energy projects in off-grid communities worldwide, not a commercial product company. The organization operates a portfolio of solar infrastructure programs under its Whole Village Development Model framework. Core offerings include Solar Market Gardens (solar-powered drip irrigation for women's farming cooperatives), Healthcare Electrification Systems (powering clinics and vaccine storage), Micro-Enterprise Centers (solar-powered commercial hubs), Solar-Powered Water Systems (clean water pumping and distribution), School Electrification (lighting and digital access), Justice Microgrids (powering legal and municipal services), Solar Cooking Programs (using Lytefire and ECOCA cookstoves), Solar Streetlighting, Community Water Systems, National Solar Training Center (vocational training in Haiti), and Home Solar Electrification. These programs are implemented as direct nonprofit projects rather than commercial products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Solar Market Garden (SMG): SELF's model combining solar power with drip irrigation to support farmers in unelectrified regions. The program won the UNFCCC Momentum for Change Lighthouse Award at COP21 in Paris.

Products and services

• Solar Market Garden (SMG) A solar-powered drip irrigation system that uses submersible solar pumps to lift groundwater into elevated storage tanks and delivers water via gravity-fed drip lines to crops. Designed for women's farming cooperatives in unelectrified regions to enable year-round production, raise yields, and reduce dependence on rainfall.
• Healthcare Electrification Systems Solar PV systems that electrify rural health clinics and hospitals, enabling vaccine cold-chain storage in direct-drive vaccine refrigerators, operation of medical equipment, and reliable lighting for patient care in off-grid communities.
• Micro-Enterprise Centers Solar-powered commercial hubs that provide reliable electricity for rural entrepreneurs to operate businesses, generate income, and deliver new services to their communities, including bakery, milling, and retail operations.
• Solar-Powered Water Systems Solar-powered water pumping and distribution systems with direct-drive (battery-free) pumps that draw groundwater into elevated reservoirs and gravity-feed to community distribution stations, providing clean drinking water and sanitation in rural areas.
• School Electrification Solar PV installations for educational institutions that power lighting, computers, and internet access, enabling extended learning hours and digital education in off-grid schools.
• Justice Microgrid Solar microgrids that power legal aid centers, courts, town halls, and municipal services in rural Uganda (e.g., the 14.25-kilowatt Justice Microgrid), enabling citizens to access justice tools and government services after dark.
• Solar Cooking Program Solar-powered cooking appliances (Lytefire solar ovens and ECOCA solar-electric cookstoves) combined with training programs that replace biomass fuels with clean solar energy for baking, roasting, dehydrating, and household cooking.
• Solar Streetlighting Solar-powered outdoor lighting installed in public spaces to improve safety, reduce crime, and create secure environments for women, children, and community members after dark.
• National Solar Training Center (NSTC) A vocational training program operated with Haiti Tec in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, providing hands-on solar PV curriculum to train solar technicians for careers in the photovoltaic industry.
• Home Solar Electrification Solar home systems for households that replace dangerous lighting sources such as kerosene with safe, clean solar power for lighting and basic appliances, including use cases for low-income households in the U.S. and developing countries.
• Community Water Systems Community-scale solar-powered water systems with distribution points and streetlights near taps that reduce waterborne illness and unpaid labor burden — implemented in areas such as Kalalé District, Benin.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million+ people served with solar electricity access since 1990
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Stanford UniversitynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford University conducted research on SELF's Solar Market Garden program, documenting improvements in food production and income for women farmers. Study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
• BarefootLawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSELF works with BarefootLaw to electrify legal aid centers in under-electrified communities in Uganda. The Justice Microgrid project powers courts, town hall, and community development offices.
• PESITHOnotableTechnology or IntegrationSELF partnered with PESITHO to deploy ECOCA solar-electric cookstoves in Kenya's Maasai Mara. PESITHO developed the cookstove technology including burner, solar-powered lamps, and charging ports.
• LytefirenotableTechnology or IntegrationSELF uses Lytefire solar cooking units in Uganda's Solar Cooking Program. The commercial-scale solar ovens can bake, roast, dehydrate, and cook various foods at scale for the Sanyu bakeries.
• Rape Hurts Foundation (RHF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSELF collaborates with the Rape Hurts Foundation in Uganda on multiple projects including solar-powered water systems, streetlighting, solar cooking, and solar refrigeration. RHF is a Ugandan organization dedicated to protecting women and girls from sexual violence.
• Haiti TeccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSELF partnered with Haiti Tec in Port-au-Prince to create Haiti's National Solar Training Center (NSTC). SELF developed the curriculum and Haiti Tec provides the facilities and instruction for training solar technicians.
• World Health OrganizationnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerJean-Baptiste Certain, SELF's Project Director, works as a technical advisor to the World Health Organization on solar energy applications for healthcare.
• Olchoro-Oirouwa ConservancynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerSELF partnered with the Olchoro-Oirouwa Conservancy in Kenya's Maasai Mara to install a 7.2-kilowatt solar-powered water system at the Olchoro Rhino Sanctuary.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• M-KOPA: A leading PAYG solar operator in East Africa that finances solar home systems for low-income off-grid customers. Comparable to SELF on customer base and use cases, but operates at significantly larger commercial scale.
• Greenlight Planet / Sun King: A global off-grid solar energy company selling PAYG solar home systems to households without electricity access. Direct overlap with SELF on core product (solar home systems) and target market (off-grid households in Africa/Asia).
• d.light: A venture-backed pay-as-you-go solar provider serving off-grid households across Africa and Asia; overlaps with SELF on solar home systems and lighting, but competes via a commercial financing model rather than donations.

Emerging players

• PowerGen Renewable Energy: A mini-grid developer focused on East African off-grid communities, comparable to SELF on community-scale solar microgrids and rural electrification in shared target geographies.
• BURN Manufacturing: A social enterprise manufacturing clean cookstoves and solar products for East African households. Comparable to SELF on the clean cooking use case (overlapping with SELF's solar cooking program) and target geography (East Africa).

Direct peers

• Barefoot College: A nonprofit that trains rural 'Barefoot Solar Engineers' (particularly grandmothers) to install and maintain solar systems in off-grid villages, sharing SELF's community-ownership, last-mile training, and solar-electrification model.
• SELCO Solar (SELCO India): Founded as a spinoff of SELF's original solar home system work in India, SELCO provides decentralized solar solutions to underserved households, making it a direct successor organization and the closest commercial-mission peer in the same lineage.
• GivePower: A nonprofit that builds solar-powered desalination and community microgrids in developing countries, sharing SELF's community-scale solar infrastructure approach and nonprofit funding model.
• SolarAid: A nonprofit focused on solar lighting in off-grid communities across sub-Saharan Africa, sharing SELF's donation-funded model, community-led delivery approach, and target beneficiary base of rural off-grid households.

Regional players

• Grameen Shakti: A Bangladeshi nonprofit deploying solar home systems and biogas plants in rural Bangladesh. Comparable to SELF on the solar home system model and NGO-funded community approach, though it is regionally focused on Bangladesh.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solarfund
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@solarfund
• Facebookfacebook.com/solarelectriclightfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frankscapital
• Instagraminstagram.com/solarfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Solar Electric Light Fund