A fresh produce exporter and a construction ballast producer have installed solar power plants at their premises in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Kiserian, respectively, joining a growing list of businesses turning to alternative energy to cut costs and reduce reliance on the national grid.

Shalimar Fresh - a 60-year-old firm that grows and exports vegetables, fruits and flowers - has installed a 1.7-megawatt (MW) solar plant at its JKIA premises, while Homekena has set up a 426-kilowatt (kW) system at its ballast production site in Kiserian, Kajiado County.

“The prices are discounted compared to what we get from the grid,” said Srikanth Vadakattu, group finance director at Shalimar Fresh Limited.

“We export mostly to Europe. Our business has to be sustainable, and we constantly monitor our CO2 emissions because it’s a very sensitive topic in Europe. So, this solar solution as an alternative to [Kenya Power] is quite encouraging and quite helpful for us,” he added.

Solar shift

Frustrated by high costs and unreliable electricity supply, many Kenyan businesses - including corporates and households - are increasingly turning to solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, supported by falling prices of panels, inverters and batteries.

George Muiruri, director of Homekena, said the switch to solar has significantly cut electricity bills.

“I pay half of the amount I was paying previously,” he said.

At the Kiserian site, solar panels now power heavy crushers directly, with plans to install batteries to store excess energy.

Cost savings

Solar installation firm Miale Solar Inventions said demand for power purchase agreements is rising among businesses.

“We have done close to 15-megawatt systems in agro-processing, in the hospitality industry, in the education sector. Our focus as a company is within the commercial and industrial space. However, we are also rolling up a lot of initiatives for the SMEs, that is, the schools and hospitals,” said Miale CEO Stephen Adwong’a.

Read: MRM eyes 727kWp solar power to cut cost, emissions

Data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) shows captive solar capacity in Kenya stood at 326.7 MW as of December 2025 - about 14.74 percent of the country’s total installed power capacity. Geothermal and hydro remain dominant at 25.72 percent and 23.78 percent, respectively.

Corporate uptake

Epra also disclosed that beverages firm Coca-Cola plans to install solar plants at its manufacturing sites in Kisumu and Embakasi, Nairobi, with a combined capacity of 3.98 MW for internal use.

The regulator approved 2.076 MW for the Embakasi bottling plant and 1.907 MW for the Kisumu facility.

Other firms that have installed solar systems include Bio Food Products, TotalEnergies Kenya, Maisha Mabati Mills, Simba Cement, Unilever Tea Kenya, British American Tobacco, Africa Logistics Properties, Bidco, Mabati Rolling Mills, Centum Real Estate and Devyani Food Industries.

The list also includes East Africa Spectre, Naivasha Water and Sanitation Company, Ngarooj Farm, Uwezo Millers, Médecins Sans Frontières, Embu Builders, Outspan Hospital and Piave Quarry, among others.

→ eondiek@ke.nationmedia.com

Follow our WhatsApp channel for the latest business and markets updates.