Having registered an Energy Compact with UN-Energy on September 24, the world’s largest off-grid solar energy company Sun King will deploy more than 50-million new solar kits across Africa by 2030 and more than $5.6-billion of solar equipment, which will add 3.8 GW of new solar capacity and extend clean energy access to 200-million people.

This within the context of nearly 700-million people, 85% of which are in Africa, still lacking access to reliable electricity.

Energy Compacts are voluntary, trackable commitments launched by UN-Energy, coordinated by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and supported by organisation Sustainable Energy for All.

Through Energy Compacts, governments, companies and organisations register measurable, time-bound action toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7): ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Sun King’s commitment comes with four years to the 2030 SDG7 deadline.

The latest Tracking SDG7 report finds 665-million people still without electricity and over two-billion without clean cooking equipment, with the remaining gaps increasingly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.

The expansion also supports Mission 300, the World Bank and African Development Bank initiative to connect 300-million people to electricity by 2030.

Sun King explains that the 200-million people Sun King will serve is equivalent to two-thirds of the Mission 300 target and one-third of the SDG7 goal.

The company explains that World Bank research shows standalone solar, the technology Sun King delivers, is the least-cost route to the majority of new connections needed by 2030, at a fraction of the investment.

''When the SDGs were adopted, off-grid solar was in its infancy. Today it is the fastest-growing route to energy access in Africa and the quickest to deploy, with off-grid solar projected to deliver the largest share of new connections for people living beyond the grid.

“By 2030, Sun King expects to be delivering over a million solar kits a month. This Compact puts that commitment on the public record,” says Sun King co-founder and CEO Patrick Walsh.

Sun King works across 12 African countries, reaching customers house by house and business by business with solar kits designed and engineered in-house.

The range runs from entry-level solar kits that provide lighting and phone charging through to multi-kilowatt systems capable of powering large homes, modern businesses, schools and public health centres.

Under Sun King's pay-as-you-go model, customers buy their systems on finance repaid over 12 to 24 months in daily, weekly or monthly instalments, with entry-level kits costing as little as $0.19 a day through mobile money.

The model lowers the upfront barrier to clean energy and widens access among underserved communities.

Sun King says it has extended $1.7-billion in solar financing to customers across Africa to date.

The company notes that it currently provides light and power to 58-million people worldwide.

Sun King says its Energy Compact commits to reaching 200-million people with first-time or improved access to clean, affordable electricity; deploying 3.8 GW of new solar capacity; and powering 50-million homes, schools, health centres and small businesses, taking Sun King's cumulative total from 30-million to 80-million solar products delivered.

Other commitments include bringing clean cooking to two-million people, creating more than 45 000 new long-term jobs, taking Sun King’s workforce to about 90 000 people; and delivering one-million solar kits a month by the end of 2030.

Sun King says it will meet the Compact commitments by deepening operations in the 12 African countries where it already works and moving into new markets with high energy access needs.

The company affirms it will keep investing in solar technology to bring more efficient systems to households and businesses, expand its partnerships with investors and develop its consumer financing platforms so that solar stays affordable while more capital is directed toward Africa's green transition.