Sun King, the world’s largest off-grid solar company, has announced a plan to bring clean electricity to 200 million people in Africa by 2030, scaling deployments to 50 million solar kits between 2026 and 2030. The commitment, unveiled at Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg 2025, represents more than $5.6 billion worth of solar equipment and will add 3.8 GW of new distributed solar capacity across the continent.
The expansion supports Mission 300 — the World Bank and African Development Bank initiative to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030 — with Sun King’s target alone covering two-thirds of the initiative’s goal and nearly one-third of the UN SDG7 target. The announcement comes as global leaders gather in Johannesburg for the first G20 summit held on African soil, where South Africa’s presidency has prioritised low-carbon financing and clean-energy expansion.
“Off-grid solar is scaling at unprecedented speed,” said T. Patrick Walsh, Sun King CEO and co-founder. “We grew from 10,000 solar kits a month in 2017 to more than 330,000 today. By 2030, we expect to exceed one million kits a month, bringing clean, affordable electricity to hundreds of millions of people faster than ever before.”
Sun King currently operates in 11 African markets, offering systems that range from basic lighting kits to multi-kilowatt inverter systems capable of powering homes, businesses, schools and health centres. The company already serves 50 million people globally, 67% of whom previously relied on kerosene, candles or wood fires for lighting. Its pay-as-you-go model allows customers to pay from as little as $0.19 a day via mobile money over 12 to 24 months, and the company has extended $1.4 billion in consumer solar financing to date.
Under its 2030 roadmap, Sun King plans to provide first-time or improved electricity access to 200 million people while significantly expanding its retail footprint and workforce. The company expects to open about 1,200 additional stores across Africa, bringing its network to more than 1,650 locations, and plans to nearly double its workforce to around 90,000 people. Monthly deployment will rise from the current 330,000 kits to more than one million by 2030 as Sun King scales operations in existing markets and enters new high-demand countries.
“Six hundred million Africans still lack the electricity they need. Off-grid solar remains the fastest and most affordable solution,” said Dr. Wale Aboyade, Sun King Vice President for Public Policy and Government Affairs. “We’ve reached 50 million people thanks to strong government and investor support, and scaling further will require even closer partnership.”
The company said it will continue investing in next-generation solar technologies and consumer financing solutions to maintain affordability and accelerate Africa’s green transition.
