Anis Gharbi

Catalyzed Tunisia's renewable energy transition through solar innovation

Anis Gharbi is a Tunisian engineer and founder of Solergy, a company leading North Africa's solar energy revolution. Born in Sfax in 1985, he developed the first affordable photovoltaic system tailored for Mediterranean climates while studying at École Polytechnique. His 2014 invention, the SmartSolar Panel, increases energy output by 22% in high-temperature conditions. By 2022, Solergy had installed 150MW of solar capacity, powering 120,000 Tunisian homes. Gharbi's company pioneered pay-as-you-go solar systems, making clean energy accessible to 80% of rural households. His 2018 partnership with the African Development Bank enabled the Tunisia Solar Highway project - the continent's first solar-powered road system. In 2020, he launched the Women in Renewables initiative, training 500 Tunisian women as solar technicians. His TEDx talk 'Sunlight as Tunisia's New Oil' (2019) has 1.5M views globally. Gharbi also advises the Tunisian government on achieving its 2030 net-zero goals, helping secure $500M in green investments. His recent innovation, the Oceanergy System, combines solar and wave energy for coastal communities. Bloomberg named him one of 50 Global Energy Innovators in 2022.