Rolls-Royce invests in Energy-Start-Up Kowry Energy

• Newly founded Berlin-based company develops decentralized and sustainable energy systems for Africa
• Strengthens position in areas of electrification and decarbonization on the African market

Rolls-Royce is investing in Berlin-based start-up Kowry Energy GmbH, a provider of sustainable and decentralized energy systems. Kowry supports the sustainable expansion of energy infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa by combining renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and battery storage systems.

"The African market for decentralized energy supply offers great potential. The geographical conditions provide an opportunity to build a climate-friendly, local power supply for industrial and community customers that operates with minimum use of fossil fuels. As a young company, Kowry Energy can adapt to the realities of the fast-growing African energy market. Rolls-Royce as investor and industry partner provides Kowry Energy with strong positioning in the market. The start-up can rely on our support and know-how in implementing their projects," explained Power Systems CFO Louise Öfverström.

“We believe that solving the climate challenge facing our planet will only succeed with the inclusion of the 600 million people of Sub-Saharan Africa who are living without energy today. This requires innovative business-models that enable sustainable energy access with scale and speed. With a scale-based business model and Rolls-Royce Power Systems as our investor we are confident that Kowry Energy will achieve this,” explained founder Ndiarka Mbodji.

In cooperation with local independent power providers and operators, Kowry Energy will supply energy solutions using photovoltaic systems and battery storage for demand of up to 1MW. This minimizes the use of fossil fuels and makes optimal use of the climatic conditions in Africa. Kowry Energy supports its customers every step of the way - from project development & design to sourcing equipment and offers its customers fully integrated hybrid solutions.  

“We are excited to be launching this year in Mali and Nigeria and to see our business model validated by a current projects pipeline of $ 17 millions and growing rapidly, and I look forward to welcoming more investors committed to sustainable energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Mbodji added.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

1. Rolls-Royce  pioneers the power that matters to connect, power and protect society. We have
   pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in our operations by 2030  [excluding product testing] and joined the UN Race to Zero campaign in 2020,  affirming our ambition to play a fundamental role in enabling the sectors in  which we operate achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
2. Rolls-Royce Power Systems is headquartered in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany and employs around 9,000 people. The product portfolio includes mtu-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, power generation, heavy land, rail and defence vehicles and for the oil and gas industry as well as diesel and gas systems and battery containers for mission critical, standby and continuous power, combined generation of heat and power, and microgrids.
3. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.  
4. Annual underlying revenue was £11.76 billion in 2020 and we invested £1.25 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.