DARES · Solar for Business
Solar for Your Business Under DARES: A Simple Guide
If you run a shop, a salon, a cold room, a printing press, a guest house or a school, you already buy electricity every week — as petrol or diesel for your generator, and none of that money comes back to you. There is a government programme that covers part of the cost of putting your business on solar instead.
About five minutes. We ask for your name, email and phone so the report can be sent to you and a Digital Pulse representative or one of their EPCs can follow up about the grant.
Check your local government eligibility
Not all local goverment are eligible for DARES. Businesses in a defined list of local government areas — mostly the major city centres — do not receive subsidy support under Solar for Business. Check this before anything else. If your area is listed and you still pick DARES as your funding route in the estimate flow, the platform flags it there too, so nothing comes as a surprise later.
What DARES is
DARES stands for Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up. It is run by the Rural Electrification Agency, a Nigerian government agency, and funded by a $750 million World Bank credit.
The programme covers part of the cost of a solar system for your business. The money does not come to you. It goes to the company that installs the system, and you pay a lower price because of it. The target is to power almost 237,000 small and medium businesses across Nigeria. The window that covers businesses is called Solar for Business.
Who it is for
Small and medium businesses that need steady power to work. Shops in markets and plazas, business centres, cold rooms, tailoring shops, barbing salons, printing businesses, guest houses, schools and clinics.
The systems are generally between 1 and 10 kVA. That covers lights, fans, fridges and freezers, small machines, computers and printers. Agro-processing businesses can qualify for larger systems.
What it costs you
20%
Maximum you pay upfront, after signing an agreement.
12–24 months
You do not repay the balance as a lump sum. Over the term you pay for the energy you take from the system, against an agreed minimum monthly consumption that acts as a floor. At the end of the term the system belongs to you.
Set that against your generator. The generator is cheaper on the first day and costs you fuel every month after it. In four years it is finished and you own nothing. With the solar system, the payments end and the power keeps running.
What you get
Tier 1 equipment, which is the top grade of solar equipment, with a 30 year performance warranty on the panels and 10 year manufacturer warranties on the inverter and batteries.
The company that installs it carries the warranty and monitors the system after installation. Their utmost interest is in the system working for its lifespan.
The steps
- 1
Check your local government. Use the eligibility check above.
- 2
Answer a few questions. About five minutes: your industry, your monthly energy use, what you spend on generator fuel, and your contact details so the report can be sent and the grant partner can reach you. Start here.
- 3
Get your energy report. The platform works out your consumption and the system size your business needs, and gives you options you can compare side by side — the strongest thing to have in hand before you speak to an installer. There is no obligation at this stage.
What you should know before you start
Nobody should ask you for money to apply.
There is no application fee, no registration fee, and no payment to any agent to get your name on a list. The only money you pay is your 20% deposit, after you have signed an agreement, to a company you can identify. Anyone asking you for money before that is not part of this programme.
- You do not need paperwork to start. Your industry, your energy use, your generator fuel spend and your contact details are enough — about five minutes. Documents only come up later, after you request a quote and the company calls you.
- The report carries no obligation. You can look at the numbers and decide nothing. Requesting a quote is a separate step that you choose to take.
- A quote is not approval. Your report tells you what your business needs. Whether your business qualifies for support is confirmed by Digital Pulse and their partnering EPCs after they have spoken with you.
- The installer is paid on work that is verified. The grant is released only after the system has been built and checked. That is why the company installing it has a direct interest in it working properly.
- Be accurate about your fuel spend. The system is sized against what you actually use. Understate it and you get a system too small for your business. Overstate it and you pay for capacity you do not need.
Start here
About five minutes: your industry, your energy use, what you spend on generator fuel, and your contact details so we can send the report and the grant partner can follow up.
Get your energy savingsIf you install solar and want to work on DARES projects, the platform is open to EPC and RESCO partners — join as a partner.
PureWatts is an independent technology platform. It is not an agent of, and does not act on behalf of, the Rural Electrification Agency, the World Bank, or the DARES programme. Eligibility for DARES support is determined by the programme and its approved participants, not by PureWatts.