The Sun Exchange, or Sunex, is positioning bitcoin as a tool to expand access to solar energy in Southern Africa. Founded in 2016 by Abraham Cambridge and co-founder Larry Temlock, the company allows members to purchase solar cells using bitcoin or South African rand, then receive income generated from electricity usage in either bitcoin or fiat currency.
Fractional solar ownership lowers the barrier to entry
Rather than asking investors to fund entire solar panels, Sunex breaks projects down to the level of individual solar cells. A standard panel typically contains around 60 solar cells, and the company’s structure is designed to make participation possible for people with limited capital. Once purchased, the cells are leased to a specific infrastructure project, and rental income derived from power consumption is distributed back to the owners.
Each solar cell is assigned a unique reference number, allowing investors to identify where their asset is located geographically. Sunex argues that this tangible link to a physical energy asset can help attract newcomers who may be unfamiliar with bitcoin but are more comfortable investing in something visible and productive.
Projects already funded in South Africa and Lesotho
Under the model, Sunex first partners with a site that needs solar infrastructure, then raises financing through a crowdsale. Only after all of the required cells are sold are the systems purchased and installed. According to the report, the company has already facilitated solar installations for Knysna Elephant Park, CROW Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, and The Stellenbosch Waldorf School.
Sunex was also running a crowdsale for a 100-kilowatt solar micro-grid in the rural village of Ha Makebe in Lesotho, pointing to a broader regional ambition beyond South Africa alone.
Bitcoin and solar seen as philosophically aligned
The company says solar power and bitcoin are similar both practically and philosophically. In its view, solar energy is a decentralized and democratic form of power, while bitcoin is a decentralized and democratic form of money. Sunex frames both as liberating technologies that could help define 21st-century economies.
Since launching in March 2016, Sunex says it has received several awards, including Best Blockchain and Bitcoin Business in Africa 2016 and recognition in the 2017 Global Blockchain Challenge in Dubai. The company also reported that 75% of members who hired cells using rand asked to receive their returns in bitcoin, suggesting strong crypto interest among participants.
Betting on Africa’s energy and payments transition
Sunex believes cryptocurrency could become an important force in Africa’s future economy, especially as cross-border remittances and everyday commerce remain heavily cash-based, costly, and risky in many markets. At the same time, it acknowledged that broader bitcoin adoption in rural areas would require much more affordable, or even free, mobile internet access.
What makes the Sunex model notable is that it does not present bitcoin purely as a speculative asset. Instead, it ties digital currency to real-world infrastructure and recurring energy income. In a region where both energy access and financial inclusion remain major issues, that combination offers a practical test of how blockchain-linked financing might support physical development.