Off-grid energy provider M-KOPA Solar has announced it has sold over 100,000 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels made in Kenya by local solar product manufacturer Solinc, and now plans to do all future panel sourcing locally, subject to market and regulatory conditions.

M-KOPA has been sourcing its 20W and 15W panels from the Solinc factory in Naivasha - the first solar PV module factory in East and Central Africa - for the last two years, with these panels used in M-KOPA's larger home systems, which include TV, lights, radio and phone charging.

The company has now installed over 100,000 of these locally-manufactured panels, powering the company's TV solar home systems and generating a total of 1.85MW of off-grid power direct from rooftops across East Africa.

With M-KOPA households having an average of five inhabitants, they have brought 500,000 new TV viewers into the information economy.

While the company previously imported its smaller 8W panels from overseas, it will now be looking to source all its panels in Kenya. It will be looking to locally source a further 500,000 PV panels, generating 6.6MW of power, over the next two years.

"Kenya has emerged as a hub for solar innovation. The government has created an enabling environment for the solar sector and now we're seeing the impact and benefits flowing into the wider economy," said M-KOPA chairman Mugo Kibati.

Haijo Kuper, founder and managing director of Solinc East Africa, said his company was delighted it had been able to provide M-KOPA with security of supply at an affordable price point.

"In line with global trends, we're confident that we can continue to bring the cost of PV down and maintain quality," he said.

Solinc employs 130 Kenyans in its Naivasha factory, and if it secures the increased volumes from M-KOPA will employ 30 more engineering staff over the next two years.