Power in Nigeria is still a problem. Diesel prices are insane, petrol isn’t any better, and electricity tariffs have hit the roof. So when Arnergy says it wants to help Nigerians dump their noisy, fuel-guzzling generators, people are finally listening.ย
And the company is not just talking anymoreโitโs raising millions to back it up.
The Lagos-based solar startup just secured an additional $15 million in funding, bringing its Series B round to a total of $18 million. Itโs a big move, but itโs in line with the times. Fuel subsidies are gone. Petrol is now luxury. And businesses that once saw solar as a nice-to-have are now treating it like a lifeline.
Arnergyโs CEO, Femi Adeyemo, said. โWhen we started the business, we used to position solar as a way to get uninterrupted power, not necessarily to save money. It wasnโt part of a commercial conversation. Now it is, because we can clearly show customers how our systems save them monthly whether using petrol, diesel, or even the grid.โ
Thatโs the reality now. Cost is king. The companyโs lease-to-own model, known as Z Lite, is suddenly the most attractive option for SMEs bleeding cash on energy. A customer paying โฆ200,000 monthly on diesel can now spend less than half on solar. It’s not idealismโitโs survival.
In just one year, Arnergy tripled its lease customers. And according to Adeyemo, the company is aiming for 4 to 5 times growth again this year. Its revenue in naira is also climbing fast, although forex issues have kept the dollar figures stagnant. That hasn’t stopped the company from expanding B2B partnerships and eyeing markets in Francophone Africa.
So far, Arnergy rolled out over 1,800 solar systems in 35 states, powering schools, hospitals, banks, and homes. With this new fundingโled by CardinalStone Capital Advisers and backed by heavyweights like Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Norfund, EDFI MC, All On, and British International Investmentโthey want to reach over 12,000 installations by 2029.
But there are policy issues, with the Nigerian government recently floating a plan to ban solar panel imports. The goal? Boost local production. The problem? Local manufacturers arenโt ready. Not even close. And Adeyemo is calling it out.
โWeโre advocates for local manufacturing. But letโs build capacity before shutting the door on imports. Otherwise, we risk doing more harm than good, both to the industry and to the millions of Nigerians who now rely on solar as their primary energy source.โ
Heโs not wrong. Nigeria still lacks the infrastructure, capital flow, and policy stability needed to mass-produce solar components locally. Slamming the brakes on imports could paralyse progress right when the industry is picking up steam.
Arnergy knows what itโs up against. Scaling clean energy in a country where policy shifts like sand in the wind isn’t easy. But their modelโrooted in resilience and hard mathโis working. No fluff. No greenwashing. Just numbers that make sense in a country desperate for alternatives.
And make no mistake, the company is more than a cleantech startup. Arnergy wants to rewrite how Nigeria powers its environsโquietly, cleanly, and without petrol fumes choking the air.