The Equator Solar team at the company premises in Kampala, Uganda

About Equator Solar

Built to last.Since 2011.

We have been building solar and battery systems for business in East Africa since 2011. Factories, hospitals, schools and lodges across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania run on power we designed, built and still look after today.

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Where we come from

We are engineers first, and it shows.

Franz Sistemich started Equator Solar in 2011, back when almost nobody in Uganda was doing solar engineering properly for business. Fifteen years later we have more than 300 systems running in the field and a team of 22 people who look after them.

We are engineers before we are anything else. That means we start by measuring what your site actually draws, then build the whole system around that number. Solar, batteries, hybrid or off-grid, with the monitoring and controls that keep it honest for the next 25 years.

We work at commercial and industrial scale, from about 20 kW up to 2 MW, so we are not the people to call for a panel on the roof at home. Our senior engineers have been doing this long enough to care about the things nobody sees. The cable sizing, the earthing, the fault logs.

We bring German engineering discipline and pair it with people who know how things actually work here. That mix is why factories, hospitals, schools and international organisations hand us their power and then stop thinking about it.

Every project, no exceptions

What every client gets

It does not matter whether your system is 20 kW or 2 MW. Four things never change.

Tier 1 technology that holds its value

Jinko, Huawei, BYD, Sungrow, SMA. Components from makers who will still be there to honour the warranty, in a plant built to run 25 years.

One system, fully integrated

Solar, batteries, gensets, monitoring and controls, engineered as a single plant. One design, one company answering for all of it.

Service that does not stop at handover

A dedicated service team, real engineers on the phone, and people who know your system because they built it.

Advice before you spend anything

We measure your load and model the numbers before we quote. Sometimes that means telling you to spend less.

Our history

15 years, and counting

It started with one feasibility study. Today it is more than 300 solar systems installed across East Africa.

2011

Franz Sistemich founds Equator Solar in Kampala, doing solar for business.

2013

Our first solar feasibility study lands, for the Jesa solar project.

2016

First commercial installations go live, at Lubaga Hospital and UCMTI.

2018

VICinAqua with Hochschule Karlsruhe, plus our first installation in Kenya.

2021

Uganda’s first industrial solar hybrid system goes live, again at Jesa.

2024

Our first industrial battery-backup systems go in at several factories.

2025

250 solar systems for health centres across Uganda, with UNICEF and solar23.

2026

We pass the 300 mark for solar systems installed across East Africa.

Our team

The people behind Equator Solar

The engineers, project leads and specialists who design your system, build it, and keep it running. Backed by German technical expertise, and based right here in Kampala.

Leadership & Advisory Board

Fabian Dold

Fabian Dold

CEO & Director

As CEO and Director, Fabian sets the strategy and technical direction. He has worked in Uganda’s solar sector since 2012 and joined Equator Solar in 2016, and keeps pushing for smarter systems and higher engineering standards.

Mira Kowalski

Mira Kowalski

CFO & Director

Mira leads finance, governance, and corporate operations. She builds the systems and financial foundations to ensure the company’s continued growth.

Franz Sistemich

Franz Sistemich

Founder & Board Member

Franz founded Equator Solar Systems Ltd. in 2011. For many years he led the company in an operational capacity, shaping its growth and establishing its position in the solar PV sector in East Africa. A renewable energy expert and business strategist with international experience, he now remains actively engaged as a Board Member, driving the company’s further development, international expansion and strategic direction.

Steffen Wassler

Steffen Wassler

Senior Technical Advisor

Steffen joined in 2014 and built much of the early technical foundation, leading project development and operations. He now advises us and runs his own energy businesses in Germany, in energy management and efficiency.

Management

Michael Muyinga

Michael Muyinga

Chief Technology Officer

A veteran of the solar and energy efficiency sector, Michael leads technical development and oversees installations as CTO, making sure every project lands with the right technology, at the right quality, on time and on budget. He joined in 2021.

Esther Kongai

Esther Kongai

Head of Finance

Esther leads finance, along with HR and admin. A seasoned accountant, she keeps the numbers straight and the company on solid footing, and has lifted the whole operation since joining in 2024.

Eric Kyakonye

Eric Kyakonye

Head of Procurement

Eric runs our international procurement and the supplier relationships behind it. A solar technology and system-design expert, he makes sure projects get the best technology at the right quality, on time. He joined in 2022.

Christine Nakayima

Christine Nakayima

Head of O&M

Christine heads our Operations and Maintenance department, ensuring clients’ solar systems deliver optimal performance throughout their lifecycle. With extensive knowledge of every system in the portfolio, she oversees service coordination. She joined the company in 2023.

The Team

Raymond Sekitoleko

Raymond Sekitoleko

Project Engineer

Aloysious Ssejjoba

Aloysious Ssejjoba

Project Engineer

Ashiraph Asiimwe

Ashiraph Asiimwe

Project Engineer

George Wamembo

George Wamembo

Solar Technician

VT

Vianney Tumwesige

Project Manager

Vianney Kabuye

Vianney Kabuye

Electrical Engineer

Silvano Outa

Silvano Outa

Office & Warehouse Operations

Shaminah Nangobi

Shaminah Nangobi

Accounts & Administration

Aisha Nakibirango

Aisha Nakibirango

Accounts & Administration

Swaburah Nambi

Swaburah Nambi

Project Engineer

Louis Loli

Louis Loli

IT

Sandra Kitimbo

Sandra Kitimbo

Key Account Manager

Max Ekaju

Max Ekaju

Sales Engineer

Technology partners

We do not do it alone

Two German companies are part of the Equator Solar Group and stand behind the work we do in Uganda. One is a shareholder bringing strategic support and an international network. The other brings years of energy-efficiency expertise from German industry. Between them we have the people and the know-how for projects we could not take on alone.

NEXIRA

Kassel, Germany

Strategic partner and network supporter

NEXIRA GmbH, Kassel, Germany, is a shareholder of Equator Solar Systems Ltd. and remains actively engaged in its development. Beyond its role as shareholder, NEXIRA provides ongoing strategic and business support to strengthen the company’s operations. NEXIRA also acts as an international network partner, connecting Equator Solar to contacts in procurement, sourcing, new prospects and project finance. NEXIRA was also the operational partner behind Equator Solar’s project with the German Energy Agency (dena), funded under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s Export Initiative Energy.

Visit NEXIRA
renergy consulting

Ettenheim, Germany

German energy-efficiency expertise

renergy are energy-efficiency specialists who advise German industrial companies on their energy strategy. They run certified energy management and know how to get more out of every unit of energy a business uses. That technical experience goes straight into our own engineering, backed by people who have done this work for years.

Visit renergy consulting

We build with

Jinko Solar
Huawei Solar
BYD
Deye
Sungrow
SMA
Fronius
Victron Energy
Pylontech
Canadian Solar

Want to work with us, or join the team?