Aaron Olson left the Democratic Republic of the Congo when he was just two years old.

Upon returning to visit his family for the first time last January, Olson noticed a permeating lack of reliable access to electricity in his community.

Families had to take their electronics to diesel stations to charge their appliances or mobile phones. Combined with the cost of fuel for kerosene lamps, Olson said nearly one-third of family income is consumed by the cost to access energy.

And while a high-voltage power line is strung above the city, it bypasses the residents below.

Olson knew there had to be a better way to electrify the smaller communities of Sub-Saharan Africa.