Luyanda Mpahlwa

Solar energy pioneer revolutionizing rural electrification across sub-Saharan Africa

Luyanda Mpahlwa is CEO of SolarNow, a South African startup that has brought clean energy to over 500,000 households since 2018. His Pay-as-You-Go solar model uses blockchain technology to enable microfinance payments, reducing energy poverty in Zambia by 40% since 2020. The company's 2023 Women Empowerment Initiative trained 12,000 female engineers across East Africa.

In 2022, Mpahlwa launched the Pan-African Solar Grid, connecting 18 countries through hybrid renewable energy networks. His TEDx Talk 'Lighting Up Africa's Future' (2021) inspired the African Union's Solar Decade initiative. Recent innovations include solar-powered cold storage systems that cut food waste by 65% in Malawi.

His 2024 partnership with Elon Musk's Tesla created the world's first off-grid battery storage hub in Namibia. Mpahlwa's writings appear in Nature Energy and his UN speech 'Energy Justice for All' shaped the 2025 Global Energy Compact.