About REL — Renewable Energy Log
Africa is in the middle of an energy transformation. The African Union has committed to bringing 300 gigawatts of renewables online by 2030. more than four times the 72 GW of installed capacity recorded across the region as of 2023.Yet much of this transformation is happening quietly, one rooftop panel and one village minigrid at a time — largely undocumented, unmapped, and invisible to the researchers, policymakers, and investors who need to see it most.
About REL
Africa is in the middle of an energy transformation. The African Union has committed to bringing 300 gigawatts of renewables online by 2030, more than four times the 72 GW of installed capacity recorded across the region as of 2023. Yet much of this transformation is happening quietly, one rooftop panel and one village minigrid at a time — largely undocumented, unmapped, and invisible to the researchers, policymakers, and investors who need to see it most.
The Renewable Energy Log (REL) exists to change that.
REL is a geospatial platform built to log, map, and catalogue distributed renewable energy systems across Africa. From a 2 kWp solar home system in rural Cameroon to a 500 kW hybrid minigrid in northern Nigeria, or anywhere else, REL gives every installation a permanent, verified record on the map — complete with system specifications, installation date, location coordinates, and installer details.
Why It Matters
An estimated 600 million people across Africa live without electricity, and decentralised renewable solutions; particularly standalone solar systems and minigrids — have become increasingly important sources of electricity, especially in rural areas where grid expansion is commercially unviable. Despite this, comprehensive data on where these systems are, who installed them, and how they perform remains scattered and hard to access. REL bridges that gap. By crowdsourcing installation data from verified engineers, companies, and developers across the continent, REL builds a living, open dataset that supports energy planning, research, climate finance, and investment decisions — grounded in ground-level reality.
Data Visibility
Comprehensive data on where renewable energy systems are, who installed them, and how they perform remains scattered and hard to access. REL helps make this information visible.
Open Renewable Dataset
REL bridges that gap. By crowdsourcing installation data from verified engineers, companies, and developers across the continent, REL builds a living, open dataset that supports energy planning, research, climate finance, and investment decisions — grounded in ground-level reality.
Better Decisions
Policymakers, development finance institutions, investors, and researchers gain evidence-based insight into where clean energy is reaching people — and where the gaps remain.
What REL Offers
Benefits for installers, researchers, policymakers, and development institutions across Africa.
Installers & Companies
Gain a public profile, project portfolio, and direct visibility to clients and partners — logging a project on REL is free publicity.
Researchers & Analysts
Gain access to structured, geospatial data on distributed energy deployment, filterable by technology, region, and installation date.
Policymakers & DFIs
Gain evidence-based insight into where clean energy is reaching people — and where the gaps remain.
Built for Africa, by Africans
REL is designed with the realities of African energy deployment in mind accounting for solar PV, wind, hydro, biomass, and the hybrid systems that are increasingly defining how communities across the continent are powered. It is more than a database. It is a record of Africa‘s energy future, being built one logged project at a time.