In Kenya alone, two out of every five houses still lack access to a reliable electric grid. On a global scale, approximately 200 million households are still without reliable electricity. It's an enormous challenge, but remarkable companies, like Sun King, are tirelessly working towards solutions. To bridge this energy gap and make solar power accessible to all, a substantial amount of financing is required. Assuming an average cost of $100 per system, this would amount to around $20 billion of financing needed to provide power to every off-grid home worldwide.
While the scale of the energy gap is significant, there are remarkable companies working tirelessly to provide solutions. In this episode, we shine a light on Sun King, an extraordinary company that is transforming the lives of millions of people through its solar home systems. Anish Thakkar, episode guest and co-founder of Sun King, shares the remarkable story of how he and his partner met and started their mission to provide affordable and reliable solar power to off-grid homes in Asia and Africa.
Eugene Amusin, head of strategy and client solutions for Citi Social Finance, also joins the episode to share how Citi is supporting Sun King's efforts to bring sustainable energy access to millions of homes in sub-Saharan Africa. Citi Social Finance recognizes the importance of delivering basic services to low-income communities in emerging markets, including energy access, education, healthcare, and housing. They focus on finding companies like Sun King that are innovating in these areas and help them scale their operations. This partnership represents a crucial step in empowering these communities with reliable and sustainable electricity,
This conversation highlights the innovative business model of Sun King and the collaboration between Sun King and Citi to drive social impact and expand access to essential services. Listen in to learn about the transformative power of renewable energy and the efforts being made to create a more sustainable and inclusive future.
LEGAL:
Citibank N.A. (“Citi”), and Sun King. are not affiliated and are independent companies, though Sun King has a relationship with Citi through Citi’s Institutional Clients Group. The speakers’ views are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Citi or any of its affiliates.
All opinions are subject to change without notice. Neither the information provided, nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. The expressions of opinion are not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results.
Anish Thakkar is a Co-Founder of Sun King (formerly named Greenlight Planet) , an off-grid solar company. Prior to Greenlight Planet, Anish worked with ZS Associates, the world’s largest sales and marketing consultancy. Anish is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Eugene Amusin is Head of Strategy and Client Solutions, Director for Social Finance at Citi.
Eugene is responsible for designing strategy and delivering client solutions with social impact in emerging markets. He provides industry specialist support globally across sector working with growth companies, financial institutions and corporates.
Eugene leads social impact risk-sharing collaborations with development finance institutions, multilateral agencies and foundations. He has led a number of innovative transactions including the first microfinance carbon offset financing, and mobile collections solution for smallholder farmers, first microfinance IPO on the London Stock Exchange and milestone off-grid solar financings.
Eugene has 20 years of structuring, product management, technology and customer relationship experience with Citi. Having started his career as software engineer, his product background extends from cash management and securities to foreign exchange and capital markets.
Eugene is a proud dad of two kids and based in London.
