Households
Bringing light, phone charging, and everyday power to rural and off-grid homes, so families can study after dark, stay connected, and reduce reliance on costly, polluting fuels.
Zonful Energy
Affordable, reliable solar for rural and off-grid Zimbabwe
Clean electricity for households and businesses, powered by innovative financing and technology that opens energy access where the grid does not reach.
Impact at a glance
0
Solar Home Systems distributed across Zimbabwe
Ashden Global Award
Winner, globally recognised for expanding energy access
Pay-As-You-Go
Flexible instalments that make clean electricity accessible
About Zonful Energy
Clean power, and the skills to keep it running, for rural Zimbabwe
Zonful Energy is a Zimbabwean clean energy company bringing affordable solar power to rural and off-grid communities, where many families have never had a reliable electricity supply. Through our Pay-As-You-Go model, households and businesses pay in small, manageable instalments, so clean power is within reach of the people who need it most.
We believe energy access should create opportunity, not just light. That is why training is at the heart of what we do. Our academy teaches young people from rural communities how to install and repair solar systems, along with sales, bookkeeping and how to start a small repair and maintenance business. The training is practical and flexible, and trainees can start earning before they finish.
More than 6,000 people have been trained, and many now work with Zonful or elsewhere in Zimbabwe's clean energy sector. For trainees we don't employ, our app matches them with installation and repair jobs near them, so skills turn into work.
We work hand in hand with local leaders, faith groups, universities and development partners, including the University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Midlands State University and SNV.
6,000+
people trained
200,000+
Solar Home Systems
Pay-As-You-Go
flexible solar access
2022 Ashden Award Winner, Energy Access Skills.
How Pay-As-You-Go works
Our PAYG model makes clean electricity accessible to low-income families by spreading costs into manageable instalments, with no need for a large upfront payment.
Choose a Solar Home System
Select a system sized for your household or small business needs: lighting, charging, and essential appliances.
Pay in manageable instalments
Break the upfront cost into flexible Pay-As-You-Go payments that fit your budget, rather than paying everything at once.
Get installed and connected
Your system is delivered and set up so you can start using clean electricity right away.
Keep powering your life
Continue with your payment plan and enjoy reliable solar energy that supports daily life and livelihoods.
Who we serve
Zonful Energy empowers households and businesses across Zimbabwe with affordable, sustainable solar solutions.
Businesses
Reliable solar for shops, workshops, and local enterprises, helping businesses stay open longer, power tools and refrigeration, and grow with dependable clean energy.
National expansion through partnership
A strategic Public-Private Partnership with the Rural Electrification Fund (REF) is accelerating electrification across Zimbabwe, combining public infrastructure support with private-sector agility.
Rural Electrification Fund
Public partner
Zonful Energy
Private partner
REF-Zonful Renewable Power Solutions Private Limited
Special Purpose Vehicle for the nationwide rooftop solar scheme
Together, REF and Zonful are launching a nationwide rooftop solar scheme, managed through this dedicated SPV, to deploy clean energy at national scale.
Meet Our Founder
An engineer who set out to bring light to every home in Zimbabwe
William Ponela
Founder & CEO
William Ponela is the Founder and CEO of Zonful Energy. An electrical engineer by training, he started the company in 2014 with a simple goal: to find a real solution for the millions of Zimbabweans living without electricity.
William studied electrical engineering at the University of Zimbabwe, and he later completed further studies at UNISA. He has spent his career in renewable energy, combining engineering skill with a practical understanding of what it takes to get clean power into the hands of the people who need it most.
From our base in Harare, William leads a team that serves rural and off-grid communities across the country. Zonful's Pay-As-You-Go model comes from that way of thinking. A solar system should not be out of reach because of an upfront cost, so families pay in small, manageable instalments. Today, more than 200,000 Solar Home Systems are lighting homes and powering businesses across Zimbabwe.
For William, this work has always been about people: children who can study after dark, families who can run a small business, and communities that can grow on clean energy. His next chapter, a nationwide rooftop solar scheme in partnership with the Rural Electrification Fund, builds on that same belief that every Zimbabwean deserves reliable, affordable power.
Connect with William on LinkedInAshden Global Award winner
Zonful Energy is globally recognised for its impact in expanding energy access as an Ashden Global Award winner, celebrated for bringing clean, affordable power to communities that need it most.
Why it matters
Access to clean electricity does more than light a room. It unlocks opportunity and protects the planet we share.
Driving economic growth
By empowering households and businesses with reliable solar power, Zonful Energy helps communities work, learn, and trade with greater confidence, strengthening livelihoods across rural and off-grid Zimbabwe.
Combating climate change
Every Solar Home System replaces dirtier energy sources with sustainable solar, reducing emissions while expanding energy access for those who need it most.
Get in touch
Reach us by phone, email, or visit our office in Harare. We work with households, businesses and partners across Zimbabwe.