Intersolar Africa 2026 to Position Nairobi as East Africa’s Key Hub for Solar and Energy Storage

PFORZHEIM, Germany & NAIROBI, Kenya--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 28, 2026--

East Africa is emerging as one of the world’s most dynamic regions for solar power and battery storage. On 3–4 February 2026, Intersolar Africa will take place at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi, expanding from the successful Intersolar Summit Africa in 2025 into a full international exhibition and conference.

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East Africa’s Energy Market and Opportunities

Rapid population growth, industrialization, and rising electricity demand are putting pressure on power systems across East Africa. Limited generation capacity, grid instability, and high electricity costs constrain economic growth. Solar photovoltaics combined with energy storage have emerged as the most cost-effective and scalable solution to expand capacity, stabilize supply, and strengthen long-term energy security for businesses and communities.

Kenya already has a mature commercial and industrial (C&I) solar segment, serving manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, retail, and agricultural processing, often paired with batteries for backup and peak-load management. Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda offer attractive import conditions and market potential, though financing, regulatory, and currency risks remain key challenges. According to Cynthia Angweya-Muhati, CEO of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KEREA), Kenya’s solar market in 2026–2027 will be driven by C&I systems, productive-use applications, energy storage, and circular-economy solutions, supported by policy reform and private-sector innovation.

A Platform for Global Engagement

“Intersolar Africa responds to one of the fastest-growing solar markets worldwide,” said Dr. Florian Wessendorf, Managing Director of Solar Promotion International GmbH. “By bringing Intersolar to Nairobi, we connect global expertise with local markets and accelerate investment and project development.” David Wedepohl, Managing Director International Affairs at the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar), adds that East Africa has become a highly attractive target region for solar, storage, and off-grid solutions. He emphasizes that Nairobi brings together project developers, investors, manufacturers, and policymakers in exactly the right mix to turn ideas into bankable projects.

High-Level Speakers and Conference Program

Intersolar Africa 2026 will feature high-level speakers addressing the most pressing issues in East African solar markets. Daniel Kiptoo, Director General of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA, Kenya), will discuss regulatory frameworks and market development. Yemissirach Sisay Tebeje, General Manager of the Ethiopian Solar Energy Development Association (ESEDA), will share insights on scaling solar across East Africa. Additional speakers from utilities, government agencies, and financial institutions will focus on risk mitigation, bankability, and the role of private capital in expanding renewable energy. The conference program will explore the latest trends in solar and storage across Africa, regional market development and project pipelines in Southern, West, and East Africa, regulatory and investment opportunities for international players, agrivoltaics, continuous 24-hour solar solutions, best practices for battery storage optimization, e-mobility growth factors, and innovative business models including start-up pitches.

Exhibition and Driving Solar Growth

Intersolar Africa will host around 100 exhibitors and partner organizations from 15 countries, showcasing the latest technologies and solutions across the solar and storage value chain. With strong regional demand, falling technology costs, and growing international engagement, Intersolar Africa 2026 will provide a powerful platform to connect global expertise with local markets, accelerate investment, and drive the next phase of solar and energy storage growth across East Africa.

Intersolar Africa will take place on February 3-4 in Nairobi.

Starbucks reported strong fiscal first quarter as holiday drinks and a viral bear cup helped drive sales.

Same-store sales – or sales at locations open at least a year – rose 4% for the October-December period. That was higher than the 2.3% that Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Same-store sales in the U.S. were also up 4%, with a 3% increase in transactions and a 1% increase in spending per visit. That was the best U.S. performance for the company in two years.

Shares of the Seattle coffee giant jumped more than 6% before the opening bell Wednesday.

Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said the results were evidence that the company's turnaround plan is taking hold. Over the last year, Starbucks has been adding staff and equipment to stores to ensure faster and friendlier service and better sequence its mobile orders.

Starbucks is also adding seating and updating stores to make them cozier and more welcoming. Niccol said around 200 stores have been redecorated so far and more than 1,000 will get that treatment by this fall.

“We have a plan, we are working the plan, and the plan is working," Niccol said Wednesday during a conference call with investors. “The shine is back on our brand, both in the U.S. and around the world.”

Niccol warned that the turnaround may not be linear. But the company does expect to turn around lagging sales this year. Starbucks said it expects global same-store sales and revenue to grow 3% or more in its 2026 fiscal year. Starbucks' global same-store sales fell 1% in its previous fiscal year.

Niccol said Starbucks delivered record revenue during its holiday launch week. One “Lucky Strike extra,” Niccol said, was the $29.95 glass Bearista cups, which sold out almost immediately after they were introduced. On Wednesday, an authentic Bearista cup was selling for $119.99 on eBay.

U.S. traffic was up despite a strike by more than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers, who hoped to disrupt Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, which is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year. Since 2018, Starbucks has given out free, reusable cups on that day to customers who buy a holiday drink. The strike closed some stores, but only briefly.

Some U.S. stores also gained customers after Starbucks closed nearly 600 stores in North America in September. The company said it was closing the stores to focus its resources on better performers.

Starbucks also had a strong quarter in China, where same-store sales were up 7%.

In November, Starbucks announced it was forming a joint venture with Chinese investment firm Boyu Capital to operate Starbucks stores in China. Under the agreement, Boyu will acquire a 60% interest in Starbucks’ retail operations in China, which is valued at $4 billion. Starbucks will retain a 40% interest in the joint venture and will own and license the Starbucks brand.

Revenue rose 6% to $9.9 billion for the quarter, also beating Wall Street expectations for $9.65 billion.

Starbucks said its margins have been pressured by investments in labor as well as tariffs on coffee. But some of those costs should abate as this year progresses, Chief Financial Officer Cathy Smith said. In November, President Donald Trump announced he was scrapping U.S. tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swath of other commodities.

Adjusted for one-time items, Starbucks earned 56 cents per share in the quarter. That was lower than the 59-cent profit Wall Street was expecting.

FILE - The "Siren" logo hangs outside a Starbucks Coffee shop, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)