In announcing the joining of the two companies, a Solarcentury statement said that the new venture will be headed up by founder Dr Dan Davies and East African Solar’s former CEO Guy Lawrence. A team of seven people will reportedly be recruited to work alongside Davies and Lawrence within the region.
Guy Lawrence, director of business development at Solarcentury in East Africa, said: “Joining Solarcentury creates a highly competitive offering which is already proving appealing to businesses serious about cutting their energy bills and carbon emissions by reducing their reliance on fossil fuels. Solar is especially beneficial for high energy users such as those in the tea, flower, horticulture and manufacturing sectors where high energy costs can reduce their global competitiveness.”
East African Solar’s LinkedIn page claims that it has 11-50 employees. A press spokesperson for SolarCentury did not comment on what would happen to existing employees of that company. However, Solarcentury did announce that it intended to develop employment opportunities in Kenya, including an initiative funded by the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID) to promote skills training.
Davies, director of Solarcentury in East Africa comments: “Since opening the office in Nairobi almost 18 months ago, we have made significant inroads into the solar market in Kenya, with two sizeable projects under our belts.
“Now, working with Guy Lawrence, we have an even stronger solar offering that we believe will appeal to many businesses in East Africa. Government support for renewables in this region is growing – it’s encouraging that in Kenya, for example, the Government’s Kenya Vision 2030 recognises the opportunity for renewable energy to support economic growth and the need for the country to switch to more sustainable energy sources.”
Solarcentury was founded in 1998 and claims to donate 5% of its net profits to SolarAid, a charity that works to eradicate the use of kerosene lamps in Africa by 2020.
