Husk Power’s solar minigrids bring clean energy to off-grid communities

Husk Power is revolutionising energy access for rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by deploying the world’s largest fleet of community solar minigrids. As a Bright Spot, they address energy poverty and catalyse local economic resilience, modelling a pathway to net-zero through community ownership and rural development.

With nearly 700 million people still living off-grid in energy poverty, Husk Power aims to empower them and drive economic development through community solar minigrids that deliver climate-resilient and net-zero energy to unserved and underserved rural areas in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. With over 300 solar minigrids currently in operation in Nigeria and India, Husk has created a scalable and commercially sustainable model that addresses both energy access and rural economic upliftment.

These minigrids, which incorporate both generation and transmission, connect tens of thousands of residential customers, also power essential services and economic activities for the 15,000+ micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as health clinics and schools. Husk’s ecosystem services extend beyond providing 100% renewable power, offering appliance sales and credit financing, agro-processing and irrigation hubs, e-mobility clean drinking water and more, positioning the company as a transformative force for rural development.

How is Husk Power different from traditional energy solutions?

Husk’s community-based approach stands out from other rural electrification solutions, such as costly grid extensions or diesel generation, or standalone rooftop solar that only serves individual homes or businesses. Husk combines hybrid renewable energy systems with AI-driven automation and demand forecasting and IoT to optimise operations. This has resulted in it becoming the first minigrid company to achieve both scale and profitability

The company’s services go beyond energy delivery and recognise the need for an ecosystem approach in collaborating with communities and understanding their unique local needs. For example, in Nigeria, each community minigrid has a Village Power Committee, which includes multiple stakeholders (business owners, women, youth, religious leaders, etc.) that meet with Husk and provide regular feedback on adjusting existing services and adding future services.

"My proudest moment was realised when we lighted the second village in 2009 and I went to check whether our customers could turn on their lights. When I entered the premises of one of our customers, the man greeted us and started crying. He said: "While India got its independence in 1947, we only got independence from darkness today.”

— Manoj Sinha, CEO & Co-Founder, Husk Power Systems

Why is Husk Power’s work critical for the energy transition?

By 2050, 7 in 10 people globally are expected to live in urban areas. Rural populations, already vulnerable, are at increasing risk of being left behind across multiple transitions. So far, Husk has positively impacted over 500,000 lives, including 650 women-led businesses, by reducing diesel dependency and providing affordable, reliable, renewable energy.

Husk’s minigrids are not just electrifying homes but transforming entire communities by supporting over 15,000 MSMEs and cutting their monthly energy costs by 30–50%. Additionally, their operations annually offset 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and supply essential services to health clinics, schools, and local farmers.

Recognising the nexus of energy, agriculture and economic resilience, Husk has also prioritised creating agro-processing hubs, powering cold storage to extend shelf-life of perishable cash crops and even providing irrigation services to further increase small holder income. Husk’s work addresses climate change mitigation and adaptation, advancing the energy transition’s potential to deliver benefits across multiple areas for some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities.

What could the future look like if Husk Power scales?

As Husk’s model scales, rural electrification across Africa and Asia is transforming communities by improving quality of life and economic resilience. By the end of 2026, Husk plans to electrify over 1,400 new communities, providing connections to 300,000 new customers, which would significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and create jobs.

Husk’s “Africa Sunshot” initiative announced at the Africa Climate Summit in 2023 put forward a target of entering a total of 6 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. By expanding into other markets, Husk could support a distributed, community-driven approach to renewable energy across the Global South, reducing reliance on centralised fossil-fuel infrastructure and main grids. This shift has the potential to make clean energy and economic opportunity universally accessible, building resilience and empowering rural populations worldwide.

Questions to consider:

How can renewable energy solutions be more widely adapted to meet the unique needs of rural communities?

What role should local stakeholders play in shaping and sustaining energy infrastructure in underserved regions?

In what ways can energy transitions promote both environmental sustainability and socio-economic development?

Meet the Bright Spots

A Forum for the Future initiative, in partnership with The Earthshot Prize, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Trane Technologies, the Future of Sustainability: Reimagining the Way the World Works is showcasing the social and climate initiatives shaping a better future, today.

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