
Jaza Energy
Model & Strategy
Jaza provides affordable and reliable access to renewable energy to people in rural Tanzania through solar-powered, rechargeable battery packs that customers take home and use to power lights and small appliances. Jaza hires and trains women from local communities to operate and manage its network of “Hub” battery pack charging stations.
The company provides power to homes at a fraction of what a typical off-grid household spends on kerosene for lighting while avoiding the significant negative health and environmental effects of kerosene.



Jaza is led by co-founder and CEO Jeff Schnurr, an experienced entrepreneur with a deep history in Tanzania. Prior to Jaza, Jeff founded and served for ten years as CEO of Community Forests International, a nonprofit that connects people to the forests that sustain them in Tanzania and has empowered communities to plant more than 3 million trees. In 2015, Jeff was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Impact
Jaza has built and deployed over 75 Hubs, each serving up to 250 households each, and providing clean power to over 38,000 people. Over 150 women are employed and empowered to manage the solar hubs in their communities.
Jaza estimates that it has replaced 509,000 liters of kerosene, thereby avoiding more than 1,362 tons of CO2 emissions and reducing the related human respiratory diseases and home fire accidents that are prevalent with the use of kerosene.
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Cool climate story alert 🚨🚨🚨from @YaleClimateComm https://t.co/ThgCLETfdT
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RT @sebmanchester: @JazaEnergy powers homes and business, like this hair saloon using our pack to run clippers.
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Jaza is powered by solar and the hundreds of young women that run our Hubs.
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RT @jeff_schnurr: Still powering people, still building Hubs
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Smart 🚨 battery 🚨 people 🚨 alert 🚨 https://t.co/zljq3jRkFA
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It takes a village to light up our communities. Thanks for playing your part. https://t.co/khKJzJps61
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Lots of work to be done!👷👷♂️ https://t.co/P8xqAfPFEn
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RT @jeff_schnurr: How we stopped listening to customers, started hearing them and got to product market fit https://t.co/w3gqibqhHI https:/…
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RT @MagaliLamyin: Hiring majority local women is not only good for business but they recognize that by supporting women's economic growth,…
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The people = the company. Jazarians have been brave and have made a lot of sacrifice to build Jaza into the compan… https://t.co/tbq9AYSCpP
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Honoured to be named a Keeling Curve Prize Laureate! Let's go! https://t.co/QrDnuVtpKu
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Happy Monday. Two more Hubs live in TZ #StayLit
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First Hub live in Kigoma. 15 more coming online this month. Stay lit Tanzania/
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RT @kcurveprize: 2020 Energy Finalist @JazaEnergy replaces fossil fuels with clean energy in remote African communities. https://t.co/4hy6Q…
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When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Another 15 Hubs just shipped from our factory.