Written by: Faith Jemosop
In Keur Ndiangane, a small village of 1,200 subsistence farmers on the southern border of Senegal, darkness once dictated the rhythm of life. After sunset, the streets emptied, shops closed, and homes relied on flickering candles and smoky kerosene lamps. The absence of electricity wasn’t just an inconvenience it was a barrier to education, healthcare, safety, and economic opportunity.
That is, until last year, when a 40-foot shipping container rolled into town, carrying the promise of change. Unfolding its solar panels on the roof, crews began installing what would become a new microgrid a self-contained solar power system capable of lighting homes, powering street lamps, and running essential appliances. When switched on, it would transform life in Keur Ndiangane.
What makes this story remarkable isn’t just the technology it’s how it was funded. The driving force behind this project is ChargePoint, a U.S.-based electric vehicle charging company, better known for its network of over a million chargers across America and Europe. ChargePoint used funds generated from carbon credits earned by replacing fossil fuel-powered vehicles with electric ones in Germany. Rather than pocketing the revenue, ChargePoint chose to reinvest six figures into electrifying a remote village halfway across the world.
“We are not about greenwashing,” says Andreas Blin, ChargePoint’s director of segments and partnerships. “We’re about burning less fossil fuels. This money had to go to a renewable energy project that makes a tangible difference.”
Lighting the Way with Solar Microgrids
The partner for the project is Africa GreenTec, a company specializing in quickly deployable solar microgrids called “Solartainers.” This container-based system packs 144 solar panels and battery storage, capable of powering an entire community. Installation included erecting over 100 poles, nearly 16,000 feet of wiring, and 55 street lights each with their own solar panel.
For the villagers, the impact has been immediate and transformative. Families can now study after dark, shop owners stay open later, and streets once shrouded in dangerous darkness are safer. Small businesses have access to reliable power for grain mills and refrigeration, while healthcare clinics can preserve medicines.
“Before our project, daily life effectively ended at sunset,” says Wolfgang Rams, CEO of Africa GreenTec. “Now, the village is connected to a future of opportunity.”
Beyond Electricity: Economic and Social Transformation
Access to power is about far more than light bulbs. In a region battling climate extremes droughts followed by floods solar-powered irrigation can stabilize food production. Refrigeration preserves harvests and medicines. Internet connectivity enables education and market access.
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The solar microgrid also creates jobs: local residents are trained to maintain the system, creating sustainable employment. And the system itself is designed to grow. As demand rises, a larger microgrid can replace the original, which can be repurposed to electrify another community, a model of scalable, circular sustainability.
This approach contrasts with traditional electrification projects reliant on expensive, centralized infrastructure often slow, costly, and inaccessible for remote areas.
Solar microgrids are spreading rapidly across Africa. In Zambia, the government has installed dozens of microgrids, with ambitious plans to install hundreds more. The World Bank and African Development Bank have committed hundreds of millions in funding for off-grid solar projects, aiming to connect hundreds of millions to electricity by 2030.
Yet, for all the scale of these efforts, the role of private companies like ChargePoint and Africa GreenTec is crucial. Their ability to innovate, move fast, and harness unconventional funding sources like carbon credits offers new pathways in the electrification journey.
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For ChargePoint, supporting Keur Ndiangane was also a strategic statement amid its own challenges. Despite net losses and job cuts, the company continues to grow its EV charging network and sees this as part of a broader mission to decarbonize transport and energy globally.
“We’d like to see more companies support projects like this,” Blin says. “It’s about meaningful action beyond profit.”
Keur Ndiangane’s story is more than a village getting electricity. It’s a snapshot of how global climate policies, corporate responsibility, and local innovation can intersect to change lives. It shows that energy access is not just an African problem but a global responsibility and a global opportunity.
As Africa races toward an energy-secure future, projects like this microgrid offer a powerful reminder: sometimes, the biggest impact starts with a single light switch.
