MARKET ANALYSIS

With its year-round sunlight and strong government support for private-sector renewable energy investment, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the prime location for our revolutionary microgrid pilot to succeed and pioneer a new model for rural electrification.

democratic republic of the congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a population exceeding 100 million, making it the fourth most populous nation on the continent. French is the official language, alongside over 200 local languages and dialects.

Despite its vast natural resources, including cobalt, copper, forests, and rivers, only about 19% of the population has access to electricity, with rural areas even more significantly underserved. Today, the SNEL grid is powered by generators and relies on gasoline to travel up the river to operate.

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Current population of the Democratic Republic of Congo

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Fourth largest national population in Africa

Graphic of a group of faceless human silhouettes in shades of gray and gold, with large white text overlay that reads "19%".

Percent of population with access to electricity

Along with the above, these factors make the DRC prime for our project implementation:

  • Aerial view of a lakeside neighborhood with buildings, roads, and trees, overlaid with an icon of a half sun with rays.

    SUNLIGHT

    The DRC receives consistent sunlight year-round, with solar irradiance levels averaging 4-6 kWh/m² daily, making it ideal for renewable energy projects.

  • Aerial view of a lakeside residential area with boats docked along the shoreline, overlaid with a gold icon of a document with a plug and a lightning bolt symbol, indicating a focus on energy or power connection.

    INVESTMENT

    The 2014 Electricity Code encourages private-sector investment, reflecting the government’s growing support for renewable energy solutions.

  • Aerial view of a lakeside neighborhood with a large gold location pin icon featuring a circle with a star and diagonal stripes overlaying the image.

    URBAN HUB

    The capital city of Kinshasa, with over 17 million residents, serves as a critical urban and port hub along the Congo River, essential for energy and infrastructure development.

  • Aerial view of a coastal residential area with a gold dollar sign and circular arrows overlay, indicating financial or economic activity related to the waterfront community.

    EXCHANGE RATE

    With an average exchange rate of $1 USD equivalent to 2.500 CDF, this investment has the potential to experience an estimated 25-30% ROI.

MBANDAKA

Located in the Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mbandaka is a vital port city situated at the confluence of the Congo, Ruki, and Ikelemba rivers. This strategic location has made it a key center for the region’s food, agricultural, and industrial trade. Despite its commercial importance, Mbandaka’s estimated 1.6 million residents face a critical lack of access to electricity—only 220 households are connected to the unreliable national grid, leaving much of the population in darkness, particularly at night.

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Current population of Mbandaka

Graphic showing a light bulb outline with the text '73%' overlaid in large white font.

Percentage of households cite lighting as their main need for electricity

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Percentage of households with access to the internet

Key benefits of starting this project in Mbandaka include:

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    LOCATION

    Strategic location at the intersection of three major rivers, supporting efficient transport of equipment and materials, as well as powering a key regional port and commercial hub, boosting trade and economic development.

  • Aerial view of a residential area by a river with a golden umbrella icon overlayed.

    IMPACT

    Immediate impact by expanding reliable, sustainable power access to over 1.6 million residents currently underserved.

  • Aerial view of a riverfront residential area with a graphic overlay of a shield with a checkmark and people icons, symbolizing community protection or security.

    SAFETY

    High potential for community transformation, replacing dangerous, polluting energy sources with safe, sustainable power and enhancing safety and security through improved nighttime lighting.

feasibiity study findings

household findings

Completed in 2024 through a partnership between AEG International and Target Research + Consulting, the study evaluated the willingness of the local population in Mbandaka to pay for electricity and to collect data on the use of electricity by 1,900 households in the Province of Equateur.

87 percent and houses

87% of households are interested in subscribing to permanent access to electricity with monthly payments.

statistics and icons

Most households cite lighting (73%) as their main use, while the informal economy and SMEs cite phone charging (42%) and PC charging (24%) in addition to lighting.

currency

Low-income families are willing to pay between 20,000 and 30,000 CDF ($7-$10), middle-income families are willing to pay between 12,500 and 25,000 CDF ($4.50-$9), and high-income families are willing to pay more than 40,000 CDF ($14).

A bar chart showing percentages for different electronic devices; cell phones at 53%, radios at 46%, color TVs at 39%, satellite dishes at 20%, motorcycles at 19%, video/DVD players at 16%, laptops/computers/stereo systems at 8%, black and white TVs at 6%, computers at 5%, landline phones, power generators, satellite cables at 4%, refrigerators at 3%, and split air conditioners at 1%.

Most households own basic electronic equipment for communication (mobile phones) and entertainment (radio, television).

Providing a reliable power supply for the use of these ‘essential’ appliances would be a realistic initial goal, bringing tangible benefits to the population.

For the time being, more sophisticated equipment (computers, air conditioners) remains marginal. Installing our first-of-its-kind DC grid streamlines increased adoption of these larger technologies, which are natively compatible with DC power.

Bar chart comparing carbon dioxide emissions in metric tons from different energy sources: Gas (59.750 tons), Generators (56.761 tons), Firewood (29.847 tons), and Solar Panels (2.807 tons) with the units in CDF.

Households are spending excessive amounts of money on generators and petrol, which confirms current electricity supply is insufficient for their needs.

business findings

Completed in 2024 through a partnership between AEG International and Target Research + Consulting, the study evaluated the willingness of the local population in Mbandaka to pay for electricity and to collect data on the use of electricity by 100 businesses (92x small/medium-sized enterprises, 8x big business/government) in the Province of Equateur.

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93% of SME’s are interested in subscribing to permanent access to electricity with monthly payments.

Infographic showing percentages of different technologies: light bulb with 50%, smartphone with 42%, laptop with 25%, all in gold color.

Similar to households, light and telephone bills are the most important, followed by the PC (25%). PCs, cooling appliances (freezers and refrigerators), and printers will get a boost from having reliable electrical power to run them.

Illustration of two gold-colored clock and camera graphic icons with white text overlay showing monetary amounts in Colombian Pesos: 40,000 + 50,000 CDF on the left clock icon, and 70,000 + CDF on the right camera icon.

The trend among economic operators (SMEs and the informal economy) can be divided into two groups: those in the 40-50,000 CDF ($14-$17) range and those above 70,000 CDF ($24).

A pie chart showing the percentage of necessity ratings: very necessary 51%, necessary 21%, average necessity 15%, not necessary 9%, not necessary at all 4%, with a legend on the right indicating color-coded categories.

There is a sharp division of opinion between operations whose activities are not necessarily dependent on electricity and those whose activities are. Of the latter, 72% said they needed electricity to run their business.

Bar graph comparing the number of generators and solar panels, with generators at 51,794 and solar panels at 13,336.

Members of the informal economy and small/medium sized enterprises (SME’s) spend around 51,000 CDF ($18 USD) on generators.