Powering Community Life in Colombia’s Non-Interconnected Regions

In Colombia’s far northeast, entire communities live beyond the reach of the national electricity grid. In places like La Guajira and Vichada, families rely on diesel generators, firewood, or kerosene to meet basic needs—if they have energy access at all. These regions are officially classified as Non-Interconnected Zones, where grid extension is deemed unviable and public electrification efforts have repeatedly failed.

Soluna Energía was created to work precisely in these conditions. Founded in 2020 as a joint venture between Iluméxico and Colombia-based Hybritec, Soluna delivers off-grid solar power through an energy-as-a-service model designed for remote, low-income communities. Rather than requiring families or schools to purchase costly equipment upfront, Soluna installs and maintains solar systems and provides reliable electricity through affordable monthly fees.

Today, Soluna provides clean energy to nearly 7,000 people across households, community centers—including schools and health posts—and small businesses. More than half of the people it serves belong to indigenous communities, particularly the Wayuu in La Guajira and the Maibén Masiware in Vichada.

For these communities, access to energy is about far more than electricity. Reliable power enables refrigeration for food and medicine, lighting for education and connectivity, and energy for small businesses and productive activities. Just as importantly, it supports Indigenous families’ ability to remain on their ancestral lands, strengthening livelihoods, cultural continuity, and community autonomy.

A loan from The Reciprocity Fund enabled Soluna to install 34 additional solar systems across La Guajira and Vichada. The financing supports the enterprise’s liquidity and asset productivity, allowing Soluna to expand without relying on short-term, high-cost capital. Rather than funding a pilot, the loan builds on a portfolio of existing systems that already generate predictable, recurring revenue.

By replacing diesel generators, kerosene lamps, and firewood, Soluna’s solar systems help reduce carbon emissions, improve indoor air quality, and ease pressure on fragile ecosystems. The company enforces a strict no-deforestation policy, adapting installations to the natural environment rather than altering it.

Soluna shows what’s possible when clean energy and patient capital come together—delivering solutions that power daily life, protect the environment, and help historically excluded communities thrive on their own terms.