Absa Kenya Branch Solar Pilot Cuts Energy Use 51%
Absa Bank Kenya has completed a solar proof-of-concept across four branches – Nkrumah Road, Meru, Nyeri and Market – recording efficiency improvements of between 30 and 51 percent, according to the bank’s 2025 Sustainability and Climate Report released on Tuesday.
The pilot forms part of a wider push to cut the bank’s energy footprint. Electricity consumption across Absa Kenya’s operations fell to 3,877,178 kWh in 2025, down from 4,058,431 kWh in 2024 and 6,530,896 kWh in 2019, the baseline year for its net zero commitment. That amounts to a 40.64 percent reduction against 2019 levels, translating into electricity cost savings of Sh111.6 million ($862,442) in 2025, down from Sh140.8 million ($1.09 million) six years earlier.
The bank was not able to bank the solar savings without cost. Solarising the four pilot branches added roughly Sh11.5 million ($88,873) to its expenditure in the 2025 financial year, and the report flags several operational hurdles: high upfront capital costs relative to some branches’ older electrical layouts, structural limitations and shading affecting some roofs, and the need for a centralised maintenance model to keep the systems performing over time.
Absa Kenya is targeting full solar installation across 51 branches and its headquarters, plus 61 ATMs, as part of a broader plan to reach net zero on its own operational emissions by 2040, with financed emissions targeted for 2050. Five of the bank’s premises have already achieved EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) certification, and the bank says it is now developing a detailed business case for network-wide solar rollout, incorporating financial modelling, technical feasibility assessments and a vendor framework for long-term maintenance.
The bank’s total operational greenhouse gas emissions stood at 6,006 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, up from 3,220 tonnes in 2024, driven largely by a rise in Scope 3 emissions even as Scope 2 emissions, tied directly to electricity use, continued to fall.
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