EGG-energy

EGG-energy
EGG-energy delivers electricity to low-income
African households not served by traditional
sources.

The mission of EGG-energy (Engineering Global Growth) is to provide sustainable, clean and affordable access to electricity in East African communities that are not served by the traditional sources. Today, EGG-energy operates electricity service stations in several locations in Tanzania.

What inspired you to get involved with this work?
Access to electricity is a huge problem in many parts of the world. In Tanzania, just over 10% of the population has access to the grid, making kerosene-powered lanterns the most common source of light. Burning kerosene inside homes is a huge health hazard and offers very low-quality lighting. Through EGG-energy, we are able to implement LED lights at a lower cost.

How did you get started, and how has your work evolved?
EGG-energy got started at MIT in 2008 with a vision to help rural communities in Eastern Africa get access to electricity. We did our first customer installation in the summer of 2009 and have since built a 20-member team on the ground serving thousands of people in rural Tanzania. The company has today received funding from several sources, including USAID and private investment funds.

What impact have you achieved in Tanzania?
EGG-energy’s products have prevented thousands of liters of kerosene from being burnt. We have replaced kerosene lanterns with battery- and solar-powered LED lights in several villages around Tanzania to provide a high-quality source of light for numerous families.

How has the PSC played a role in your work?
The PSC enabled me to travel to Tanzania at a critical time in 2010 when EGG-energy was just starting its commercial expansion. I spent January of 2010 building a sales organization that ended up driving huge increases in the adoption of EGG’s products. I want to thank the PSC on my team’s behalf for taking a chance on us and being there to support the venture at a critical and risky time when we didn’t have many resources on hand.

Jukka Välimäki MBA ’10
CFO
EGG-energy