A promising start-up is working to deliver affordable electricity to the 580 million people across sub-Saharan Africa who still live without access to the power grid.
Solomon Faraji considers himself fortunate. Growing up in Tanzania, his family home had electricity — a rare privilege in a country where only 10% of the 43 million residents can say the same. Across sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 580 million people still live without electricity.
For many, this means relying on dangerous kerosene lamps or walking long distances to pay someone to recharge a mobile phone. Even more frustrating, many of these homes sit close to transmission lines but remain disconnected. In Tanzania, for example, 80% of the population lives within 5km of a power line. Yet wiring a home and paying high monthly fees is simply too costly for most.
“When I visited relatives in rural areas, they were completely in the dark,” Faraji recalls.
Powering the Last Mile
Determined to tackle this issue, Faraji studied engineering at the University of Wales. Today, he is back in Tanzania as COO of EGG-energy, a start-up providing an innovative solution to bridge the "last mile" between the national grid and individual homes.
EGG-energy offers a subscription service for portable, rechargeable batteries that can light homes and charge small electronics. Think of it as a "Netflix for batteries" — minus the postman.
“Our goal is to move power from the grid to homes in a simple and affordable way,” says CEO Jamie Yang, who developed the idea while finishing his PhD at MIT. In 2009, Yang and a team of MIT and Harvard students launched a pilot in Tanzania — a country with clear demand and local connections.
Here’s how it works: For around $80, EGG-energy wires a home, installing a security light outside and two interior lights. This compares to the $400–$800 it typically costs to connect to the grid. Once installed, customers can subscribe to a rechargeable battery service.
The batteries are nothing fancy — standard sealed lead-acid units similar to car batteries, but lighter and more rugged. “They’re reliable on local roads,” says Yang. Weighing just four to five kilos, they can be carried on bikes or on foot.
A battery charge typically lasts three to ten days, depending on use. Customers then return the battery to a local charging station and swap it for a fully charged one — a process that takes just three minutes.
Affordable, Flexible Power
A yearly subscription costs around $60 — far more affordable than grid electricity. Most customers pay in cash, but mobile payment services like M-Pesa and Tigo Pesa are also accepted.
Because the batteries are rented, EGG-energy manages their lifecycle, reducing the risk of pollution from discarded lead-acid batteries. “We’re committed to safe disposal and recycling,” says Yang.
Currently, EGG-energy operates three charging stations near Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam — two grid-powered, and one solar-powered station 30 miles beyond the grid’s reach.
So far, EGG-energy has wired over 500 homes and sold more than 1,200 subscriptions. Some subscribers are micro-entrepreneurs who resell battery power, offering mobile phone charging services to others.
Scaling Up
Next, EGG-energy plans to build a larger distribution network — working with existing suppliers of kerosene lamps and batteries to deliver its safer, cleaner alternative. “We believe our batteries are ultimately cheaper and safer than the competition,” says Faraji.
In the coming years, the company aims to expand its charging network and streamline its operations. Progress has been slower than hoped, admits Yang, but the long-term potential is huge.
"Without a reliable way to deliver power into homes, there’s little market for solar, wind, or hydro solutions," Yang explains. "If we can distribute affordable power, we can open the door to a thriving market for distributed energy."
The challenge of providing affordable, reliable electricity to hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the region’s greatest development hurdles. Without power, children struggle to study after dark, businesses are stifled, and entire communities are locked out of the digital economy.
Innovative models like EGG-energy’s battery subscription service demonstrate that large, centralised infrastructure is not always the only path forward. Sometimes, the most effective solutions come from thinking small, flexible, and local.
By using the existing grid — even its furthest edges — and combining it with mobile payment systems, EGG-energy has created a model that fits the realities of life in rural Africa. It’s an approach that also ensures that customers remain in control of their energy use and expenses.
Moreover, the environmental benefits are clear. Moving away from kerosene lamps reduces indoor air pollution and the risk of fires. Managing battery disposal responsibly addresses another critical concern.
The entrepreneurial opportunities this system creates are equally promising. In regions where formal employment is scarce, the ability to run a micro-business charging phones or selling battery power can make a meaningful difference.
The company’s progress to date — wiring 500 homes and establishing over 1,200 subscriptions — is an important start. But the real potential lies ahead. With more partnerships, broader distribution, and increased customer awareness, this model could scale rapidly.
It also fits well within the growing global interest in distributed energy generation — the shift from massive power plants to localised, flexible energy systems. In that sense, EGG-energy is not just solving a Tanzanian problem; it is helping to define the future of energy access.
As renewable energy prices continue to fall and battery technology improves, services like this could evolve further — perhaps one day eliminating the need for any connection to the central grid at all.
Importantly, this model places human needs at the centre of the technology. It adapts to people’s existing behaviours and payment methods rather than expecting communities to adapt to an expensive, inflexible grid.
Ultimately, the story of EGG-energy is a reminder that innovation doesn’t always mean giant leaps in technology. Sometimes it is about designing simple systems that fit seamlessly into people’s lives.
And if such models succeed, they could light the way — literally — for millions across the continent. The future of energy in Africa may well be carried, not on towering pylons, but on the heads and bicycles of its people.
