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ISA Announces Twenty Winners of the SolarX Startup Challenge

Along with a cash grant of USD 15,000 each, the winning startups will receive support from ISA, Invest India, WAIPA, GOGLA and other partner organisations.

July 20, 2023. By Anurima Mondal

The International Solar Alliance, announced winners of its SolarX Startup Challenge, at a side-event of the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group meeting in Goa. Around twenty companies from ten African countries were declared winners, who will work to increase solar deployment in the Africa Region. Out of the twenty winning companies, seven are led by women entrepreneurs.

Along with a cash grant of USD 15,000 each, the winning startups will receive support from ISA, Invest India, WAIPA, GOGLA and other partner organisations. They will benefit from mentorship programmes, investor connections, and market access programmes, enabling them to implement their innovations on a larger scale.

The winning companies are Musana Carts Uganda Limited, Hellosolar Technology, Kuza Coolers, Ecobora, Centennial Power, INNO-NEAT Energy Solutions, Urban Greens, STES Group, Green Scene Energy, Salpha Energy, OffGridBox Rwanda, Bako Motors, Arinifu Technologies, Momint, NoorNation, ASACCOV Global Nigeria Limited - A6GNL, Photons Energy, NorthLite Solar, Uwana Energy and EG Platform

Congratulating the winners and sharing his delight at the successful conclusion of this first leg of the Challenge. Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, ISA, said, “Entrepreneurship and finance will be essential drivers of progress in the solar sector. They are crucial for fostering technological advancements, cost reductions, market growth, job creation, energy independence, environmental sustainability, and scalability. By encouraging innovation and supporting entrepreneurial ventures, ISA will facilitate the unlocking of the full potential of solar energy, facilitating the transition to a sustainable and low-carbon future.”

The SolarX Startup Challenge is a pioneering initiative by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship and driving solar energy deployment in African ISA Member Countries. A total of 182 start-ups applied from 28 countries. The problem statement, technical and financial innovations to accelerate the deployment of off-grid solar applications (mini-grids and SHS) received the maximum number of entries capping at 109.

The ten problem statements focused on accelerating the deployment of off-grid solar applications, enhancing cost competitiveness for solar drying and other productive use applications, supporting grid integration for rooftop solar systems, combining solar with other applications to boost smallholder incomes, lowering the cost and improving the efficiency of solar equipment, exploring innovative solar business models for emerging use cases, leveraging AI and IoT for solar energy applications, developing an ecosystem for manufacturing balance of system components, creating practical business models for high-efficiency DC pumps, and utilising services or software for land mapping.

Tags:

Solar PV

International Solar Alliance

Invest India

WIPA

GOGLA

SolarX Startup Challenge

G20 Energy Transitions Working Group meeting

Solar in Africa