KINGO
LOCATION
GUATEMALA
SECTOR
RENEWABLE ENERGY
YEAR OF INVESTMENT
2014
Need
1.6 million people in Guatemala live without access to electricity, especially in rural areas. For many people, candles and kerosene are expensive relative to their incomes, unhealthy to use routinely, and families walk for miles and pay to use a generator to charge their cell phones every few days, a significant expense in terms of money and time.
Solution
Kingo Energy delivers clean, safe, off-grid electricity at a lower cost than existing alternatives. For communities without access to the electricity grid, Kingo provides a solar energy and lighting service that is clean, safe, and made affordable by innovative pay-as-you-go technology.
Impact
In early 2018 the company was serving 260,000 families in 3 countries (Guatemala, South Africa and Colombia). Kingo’s service saves 93% of its customers money, providing better light and power at a cheaper cost for energy-deprived off-grid families. By removing the need to use candles or kerosene, the company is also having a positive effect on health and safety while reducing climate emissions and impact. 81% of customers report that having solar light has helped their children improve grades at school.
