d.light
Powering Progress: Bringing solar energy to the hardest-to-reach
- Company
- Energy
- All Regions
- 2008
- Active
The challenge
Hundreds of millions of people still lack access to reliable electricity. In off-grid communities, families are forced to rely on kerosene, candles, and diesel—costly, polluting, and dangerous energy sources that limit productivity, harm health, and stall economic opportunity. Traditional financing and distribution systems have failed to reach these underserved populations.
The innovation
Founded in 2007, d.light delivers affordable, reliable solar energy solutions tailored to low-income households. Its product suite includes portable solar lanterns, home systems, appliances, and inverters—built for off-grid and under-electrified settings. Through pay-as-you-go financing and an expansive agent and retail network, d.light makes clean energy accessible to those living far from the grid.
The impact
To date, d.light has reached over 190 million people across Africa and Asia, offsetting more than 40 million tons of CO₂ and saving customers hundreds of millions in energy costs. Together, Acumen and d.light continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in off-grid electrification. In 2024, Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach initiative invested in Brighter Life by d.light, a multi-country receivables financing facility aimed at accelerating solar energy access in frontier markets like Uganda — scaling clean energy access where it’s needed most.