Deep in Guatemala’s mountains and jungles, where electricity is still an unattainable luxury, a quiet revolution is turning on lights, charging phones, and connecting the rural world to the global grid.
José Ordóñez, a Guatemalan who left Wall Street and the renewable energy sector in Europe behind, is leading this transformation.
Since his return to Guatemala, he has taken the reins of Kingo, a company whose mission is to bring solar energy and internet to the most remote areas of the country.
The beginning of the solar revolution
By: Gabriel E. Levy B.
A recent article in the newspaper El País recently revealed the incredible work that José Ordoñez does in Guatemala.
“What Juan Rodríguez saw was a pressing need,” Ordóñez explains. Rodríguez, a young Guatemalan entrepreneur, founded Kingo 11 years ago to address one of the biggest challenges facing Guatemala’s rural communities: the lack of electricity.
At the time, more than two million people lived in areas without access to the power grid, relying on candles, kerosene, and firewood to light their homes and carry out their daily activities.
With a clear vision and an iron will, Kingo began operating in the departments of Alta Verapaz and Petén, which had minimal electricity coverage.
Rodriguez and his team deployed small solar-powered systems that allowed homes to be lit and basic devices charged.
The innovation of his approach was the prepaid modality, which allowed people to buy energy in the same way they recharged credit on their mobile phones. Thus, electricity ceased to be an unattainable service to become an everyday necessity available in local stores.
The success was such that Kingo quickly expanded its operations to other rural areas, offering a sustainable and accessible alternative for those who had been marginalized by the traditional electricity system. The company has raised capital from international markets, which is essential to finance its growth, as Ordóñez points out: “Kingo is a technology startup that raises venture capital, and that is how we have managed to grow.”
Challenges and expansion in the Ordóñez era
When José Ordóñez took over the management of Kingo, he did so with an even more ambitious vision. Having worked in renewables in Europe and Wall Street, Ordonez arrived with a wealth of experience and expertise that allowed him to take Kingo to new heights. Under his leadership, the company not only continued to expand in the most remote areas of Guatemala, but also introduced new services that respond to the emerging needs of these communities.
One of the greatest achievements of the new administration has been the incorporation of the internet into its service offering. In collaboration with Starlink, Kingo launched a pilot program in rural communities to provide satellite internet access. Ordóñez enthusiastically recalls the impact of this pilot project: “It was a resounding success, and the demand in the same communities where we were already offering energy was impressive.”
The internet system also follows the prepaid model, allowing users to purchase connection time flexibly, adapting to their budgets. The infrastructure behind this project is equally innovative, with antennas transmitting the internet signal within a radius of up to one kilometer. This access to the digital network has opened up a world of possibilities for communities, connecting them not only to each other, but also to the rest of the world.
Access to energy as a fundamental right
At the heart of Kingo’s mission is the conviction that access to energy and the internet is not just a practical necessity, but a fundamental right. The lack of electricity in rural communities not only makes everyday life difficult, but perpetuates inequality and poverty. Without access to energy, students can’t study at night, businesses can’t operate after sunset, and families are forced to spend a sizable portion of their income on kerosene and candles, expensive and dangerous solutions.
Kingo’s business model has adapted to these realities, offering systems ranging from the most basic, which only allow you to turn on lights and charge phones, to more advanced options that allow you to connect appliances such as televisions and refrigerators. In addition, Kingo has developed a system called “cold-for-service,” in which bottlers pay a monthly fee to keep their products cold in solar-powered refrigerators.
However, one of the biggest challenges facing the company is the lack of infrastructure in many of the areas it reaches. Rural areas in Guatemala are often inaccessible and isolated, making it difficult to install and maintain equipment. Despite these obstacles, the Kingo team has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt, using advanced technology and innovative solutions to overcome these barriers.
Impact on communities and emblematic cases
Kingo’s impact on rural communities in Guatemala is hard to underestimate. According to data from the company, they already have a presence in 700 communities in the departments of Petén, Huehuetenango, Quiché, Alta Verapaz and Izabal, and have brought electricity and connectivity to more than 250,000 users. This means that hundreds of thousands of people who previously lived in darkness now have access to electricity and, more recently, the internet.
A particularly emblematic example of Kingo’s impact is found in La Guajira, Colombia. Five years ago, the company began operating in this desert region, one of the most isolated in the country, where living conditions are extremely harsh. The success of the project in La Guajira not only demonstrated that Kingo’s model could be replicated outside of Guatemala, but also highlighted the potential of this technology to transform lives in other parts of the developing world.
In addition, Kingo has worked with Guatemala’s Ministry of Education to bring power to 300 rural schools, allowing students to access educational tools and improve their learning conditions.
In conclusion
Kingo has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans by bringing them energy and connectivity. Under the leadership of José Ordóñez, the company has expanded its reach and introduced essential services such as satellite internet. With plans to reach more communities, Kingo not only brightens homes, but also the future of those who had been relegated to darkness.
