Across sub-Saharan Africa, over 640 million people lack access to electricity, and only 30% have access to safely managed water services. This lack of basic infrastructure exacerbates poverty, food insecurity, and vulnerability to climate change.
That's why we invested in NoorNation, an Egyptian startup providing decentralized solar energy and water solutions tailored for farming businesses and underserved communities. NoorNation’s flagship product, the LifeBox, bundles solar energy capabilities with water pumping and desalination—all from one plug-and-play unit. This unique solar-powered approach brings essential, climate-resilient infrastructure directly to those who need it most.
Here’s a closer look at why we’re excited to partner with NoorNation:
NoorNation’s solar and water solutions directly enable underserved communities to adapt and thrive in the face of climate change. The LifeBox empowers users with clean electricity for lighting, appliances, as well as productive assets like pumps and fridges without relying on expensive, polluting diesel generators.
The solar capability is integrated with a water pump that allows farmers to irrigate crops. In Egypt, the amount of accessible fresh water has fallen by two-thirds in the last 40 years, and that pressure is only increasing due to the position of the Nile’s River Delta relative to the rising Mediterranean Ocean. In Kenya, a study of a similar water pump allowed farmers to increase their revenue by 158% on average and to increase profits by 239%, thanks to the savings from solar energy.
The solar water pump is also equipped with a desalination unit to create access to clean drinking and irrigation water, a pressing need in Egypt where climate change is driving high salinity and depleting water sources. By combining solar energy with the pump and desalination unit, farmers can irrigate their crops when and in exactly the amount needed since they aren’t dependent on the reliability of water and energy, or exposed to volatile fuel prices.
These capabilities translate into real impacts: increased incomes from higher agricultural yields, improved health outcomes through access to clean water, lower carbon emissions from the use of clean energy, and more. Agricultural yields in Egypt, one of the world’s breadbaskets, are declining and are expected to drop by more than 10% by 2050, even as needs are growing.
NoorNation has already deployed LifeBox in numerous farms lacking basic infrastructure and the founders aim to impact over 1 million lives across Africa by 2028. Our investment will help them scale this vision. Ever since NoorNation commenced its operations in February 2022, they've successfully implemented 670 kWp across eight Egyptian Governorates. The clients of NoorNation oversee 900 acres of land, where they've efficiently desalinated over 3 million liters of water. Additionally, their efforts have generated 1.2k MWh of clean energy, playing a vital role in avoiding 880 tons of CO2 emissions.
NoorNation innovates through a technology portfolio tailored for decentralized rural infrastructure needs. The LifeBox takes a localized approach, customizing solar energy and water solutions for the target community and farm sizes.
Components like the high-salinity desalination module address challenges specific to rural farmers in Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa. NoorNation is essentially productizing, decentralizing, and localizing infrastructure that is often inaccessible to rural communities.
This innovation also extends to the company’s IoT-enabled remote monitoring system. The platform provides data-driven insights to optimize operations and maintenance. And by keeping systems running sustainably, rural communities can rely on NoorNation’s infrastructure over the long term.
NoorNation’s founders bring specialized experience in solar energy and water systems tailor-made for rural Africa, with over twenty years of combined domain experience between them. They are dedicated to creating infrastructure solutions with longevity and sustainability at the core.
To date, NoorNation has successfully deployed the first generation of LifeBox units, but this is just the beginning of their growth journey. The founders have bold plans to expand across Africa, with the goal of reaching a minimum of 100 units in operation by 2025. A recent study found that standalone solar pumps could meet more than a third of agricultural water needs in sub-Saharan Africa, an opportunity NoorNation is well positioned to meet.
Our venture building support will provide key resources to help NoorNation scale effectively. We are leveraging our regional expertise to assist with market expansion, refine sales and distribution models, optimize operations, and enhance technological capabilities. Our ultimate goal is helping the company extend decentralized solar and water solutions sustainably to millions who lack access. NoorNation also has a robust foundation to build from, thanks to knowledgeable founders with technical expertise and a passion for impact.
By investing in NoorNation, we aim to provide clean energy and water access to millions. We believe NoorNation can empower rural communities across Africa - and are excited to partner with them on this journey.
Read more from our team at Catalyst Fund
