Christopher Hornor

Chris Hornor is the Founder and CEO of Powerhive, a company that develops and manages micro-grids in emerging markets to provide affordable and reliable energy. He is recognized as a visionary leader and pioneer in the field of consumer renewable energy products and services.34

Background and Experience

Chris Hornor has been working in the renewable energy sector for over 15 years.4 Before founding Powerhive, he was involved with Better Energy Systems, a company that produced the Solio solar charger, a nano-solar technology device for charging mobile devices and powering small LED lights.2

Powerhive

In 2011, Hornor founded Powerhive in Berkeley, California.5 The company focuses on delivering access to electricity for rural and remote communities, particularly in Africa. Powerhive has achieved several notable milestones:

• It became the first private company registered as a utility in Kenya.2
• The company developed a software platform called Honeycomb to manage remote microgrids in Africa.5
• Powerhive integrates mobile money payment systems, allowing customers to prepay for electricity using their phones.2

Recent Developments

In March 2023, Hornor announced two significant projects that Powerhive had been working on for the previous three years:

1. The development of an electric motorcycle called SPARK.
2. The creation of Africa's first fully self-service and rapidly deployable battery swapping platform.1

These initiatives aim to revolutionize mobility in Africa and have a significant impact on both rural solar mini-grids and urban areas.1

Chris Hornor continues to lead Powerhive in its mission to provide innovative energy solutions and improve access to electricity in emerging markets, particularly in Africa.