empowering lives through clean energy
Empower Energy develops renewable power projects that will provide reliable low-cost electricity in rural Africa.
Our initial focus has been run-of-river hydro projects in Tanzania with the intention of developing and financing projects as a portfolio; to lower costs and create assets that will attract investment into Africa's renewable power sector.
Investment impact targets
2018 - 2023
ENERGY
Install 40 megawatt of renewable energy capacity generating 200 MWh / year in Sub-Saharan Africa
Environment
Avoid 107,000 tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions and reduce deforestation
DEVELOPMENT
Investment
Attract $130 million of equity and debt financing to Sub-Saharan Africa
Spur economic development and create 28,000 jobs inexpensive and reliable energy
Powering Development with Impact Investments
"Sustainable energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity and an environment that allows the world to thrive."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
The impact of access to a modern renewable energy source on society and the environment takes many forms.
HEALTH
Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and simple stoves, the resulting household air pollution causes over 4 million premature deaths from illness, 50% of premature deaths due to pneumonia among children under 5, and 3.8 million premature deaths annually from noncommunicable diseases.
World Health Organization, Feb 2016
Between 2000 and 2012, East Africa lost around 6 million hectares of forest. (WWF). Fuelwood collection and charcoal production are the main components of this forest degradation
Hosonuma et al 2012, Chidumayo and Gumbo 2013.
ENVIRONMENT
GENDER EQUALITY
"Poor women, especially rural women, continually face energy-related hurdles – including having to collect wood and the time and labour this requires; scarcity of fuel; and health problems from burning and collecting wood"
United Nations Development Programme, 2012
"Electricity can increase household per capita income by 39 percent. Businesses operate at higher levels of productivity, farmers can run cleaner irrigation systems and processing machines that improve their yields and thus, their income."
Mamadou Biteye, Managing Director, Africa Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation. July 31, 2015
DeVELOPMENT
SOCIAL SERVICES
Benefits of electrification include health facilities having longer opening hours and utilizing equipment that requires electricity and improving the quality of education by increasing teacher quantity and quality (by boosting morale) and study time at home.
The World Bank, 2008
