Leo DiCaprio’s latest investment: off-grid solar for rural communities

He’s best known as an actor but for the last 20 years Leonardo DiCaprio has established himself as a sustainability advocate, and one of the strongest celebrity supporters for any environmental cause. He sits on the board of the World Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, among others, and today he’s joining Kingo–a Guatemala-based off-grid solar company–as an investor and a board member.

For the 1.2 billion people across the world who lack access to energy in their homes, Kingo offers prepaid solar energy plans that cost less than candles and diesel. The involvement makes sense for DiCaprio: Solar energy aligns with his work around climate change and the environment. But it’s also a smart investment. Kingo’s gone from a 500-home pilot in January 2015 to powering 60,000 homes, and is installing new systems at a rate of 7,000 each month.