DOB Equity Backs Uganda's Irrisol Solar Water Mini-Grids

Solar-powered water mini-grids are emerging as a practical model for reaching communities that lack both electricity and reliable water infrastructure.

Dutch impact investor DOB Equity has invested in Ugandan water infrastructure company Irrisol Engineering to support the expansion of its solar-powered community water mini-grids, with financial terms of the deal undisclosed.

Founded in 2017, Irrisol designs, builds and operates solar-powered water systems serving rural and peri-urban areas of Uganda.

Its community mini-grids, small, localised water networks powered by solar pumps rather than the national electricity grid, combine consumption-based billing with mobile money payments to supply water to households, communities and institutions.

Company has already reached 350,000 people

Irrisol has so far developed 14 community water mini-grids and installed more than 600 standalone solar-powered water systems for schools, hospitals, businesses and households, together reaching about 350,000 people.

The model allows communities without reliable grid electricity to access piped water without relying on diesel-powered pumps, while the mobile money billing system gives the company a way to collect revenue and maintain the systems over time.

The new investment comes as Irrisol plans to expand its network of community water mini-grids across the Rwenzori region in western Uganda and into other parts of the country.

How much of that planned expansion the new capital will fund was not disclosed, leaving the scale of Irrisol's next phase of growth unclear for now.