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Azuri Technologies, a British pay-as-you-go solar company, has been listed in the 2019 Global Cleantech 100. In a statement released on Monday, Azuri's CEO, Simon Bransfield-Garth, said it was an honour to have their innovative off-grid home solar solutions in the global spotlight.

The Cambridge-based solar company operates in five main African countries, namely Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda. The company said its solar home lighting systems are transforming the lives of families across Africa by replacing kerosene lamps and other harmful fuels with clean, reliable and affordable energy.  

In 2017, Azuri Technologies partnered with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to launch pay-as-you-go solar systems in Nigeria. The partnership was aimed to deliver affordable, clean energy to 20,000 rural households living without electricity across the country.

Azuri was named in the 10th edition of the Global Cleantech 100, an annual guide to the 100 leading companies in sustainable innovation, published by Cleantech Group, a San Francisco-headquartered research and consulting firm.

“Azuri is not only delivering affordable renewable, clean energy to light homes but our solar technology is also driving economic development in rural of-grid communities where our solar products and added services are helping people improve livelihoods and increase family income,” said Bransfield-Garth.

For the Global Cleantech 100, a total of 13,900 companies were nominated from 93 countries. The list features companies best positioned to solve tomorrow’s clean technology challenges and make an impact on the market.   

In 2018, Azuri announced a unique partnership with Unilever, the global consumer goods giant, to help bring solar to millions more in Kenya. Azuri and Unilever also released a new mobile e-voucher system that enables solar customers to redeem free washing powder with every top-up, combining modern consumer goods with access to power. Azuri also partnered with APA Insurance in Kenya in 2018 to bring affordable income cover and life insurance to off-grid rural workers.

“Our tenth edition is dominated by innovations for the future of food and mobility, and a decentralised and digitised future not only for energy, but for the industrial world more generally,” said Richard Youngman, CEO, Cleantech Group.

The complete list of 100 companies, which was revealed on January 28 at the 17th annual Cleantech Forum in San Francisco, also features two African companies, Agriprotein and M-Kopa Solar.

While M-Kopa is a Kenyan pay-per-use solar power provider, Agriprotein is a South African technology firm that has pioneered waste-to-nutrient recycling technology, which turns organic waste into high-protein animal feed using fly larvae.