The idea of bitcoin hadn’t even crossed Janet Maingi’s mind until February. Born and raised in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, Maingi had instead spent more than twenty years focused on trying to solve one of Africa’s biggest problems: connectivity. During her more than two decades in the telecom industry, she worked for companies specializing in cable and satellite television, as well as internet and wireless networks. Earlier this year, however, the 45-year-old mother decided to tackle the continent’s second-biggest issue: energy.
The renewable energy industry is booming in Africa. Based on data from Energy, Capital & Power, an investment platform focused on Africa’s energy sector, solar power capacity is estimated at 10 terawatts, hydropower capacity is 350 gigawatts, and windpower is 110 gigawatts.
There has already been some harnessing of renewable energy, but a lot has not, as it is cost-prohibitive to build such specialized infrastructure. It is estimated that 1% of the continent’s solar PV capacity is installed despite Africa having 60% of the world’s solar resources.
