Overview
YY Regen SAL is a Lebanese cleantech company founded in 2021 that delivers energy through portable solar units rather than selling infrastructure.
Instead of asking farmers to invest in equipment, the company deploys modular systems and charges based on usage. Its operations span multiple regions in Lebanon, serving agricultural and industrial users.
This model shifts energy from a capital expense (CapEx) to an operational expense (OpEx), a distinction that is becoming more common in energy services globally.
Amer Khayyat, Dr. Munira Khayyat, Hasan Jaafar
Background
Agriculture is one of the most energy-dependent sectors. Irrigation, cooling, and processing all require reliable power. In Lebanon, the 2021 crisis exposed how fragile this dependency can be, as fuel shortages disrupted operations nationwide.
Globally, energy systems are undergoing a transition. Solar capacity has already surpassed 2 terawatts worldwide, with rapid expansion in the last few years alone.
Within this transition, a niche segment is emerging: Agrivoltaics.
Agrivoltaics refers to the dual use of land for both agriculture and solar energy production.
This segment is growing steadily, with the market expected to reach $4–6 billion in 2024 and continue expanding at double-digit growth rates.
The value proposition is simple: produce food and energy on the same land. In this case, solar panels are elevated, allowing crops to grow underneath. This creates partial shading, which can:
- Reduce water evaporation
- Protect crops from heat stress
- Improve land efficiency
Studies show agrivoltaics can improve water efficiency and maintain or even increase crop yields under certain conditions.
Each unit deployed by YY Regen is estimated to save around 18 tons of CO₂ annually.
Mission
YY Regen focuses on making energy accessible in sectors where upfront investment is a barrier.
Its approach is not centered on selling solar panels, but on delivering usable energy in a way that aligns with how farmers operate financially.
Product and Offering
The company’s core product is ‘Regen-R8’, a portable solar unit rented to users or leased-to-own.
Each unit produces 16 kW, or enough energy to simultaneously power a washing machine, a central air conditioner, a dishwasher, a refrigerator and a water heater. YY Regen allows the consumer to track consumption through a built-in software and requires no upfront payment to set-up the entire Regen-R8 unit.
This model is known as Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS), where customers pay for energy usage rather than owning the infrastructure.
Globally, EaaS is gaining traction because it removes financing barriers and shifts technical risk to the provider.
Business Model
YY Regen operates on a pay-as-you-go model, meaning customers pay based on usage rather than ownership.
This model is particularly relevant in markets where access to capital is limited and where cash flow is prioritizes over long-term investment.
Pricing is positioned below traditional diesel-based energy, creating a direct economic incentive for adoption.
Market Focus
The company operates in the cleantech and distributed energy sector, specifically within decentralized energy systems, agricultural energy infrastructure, and emerging market energy access.
Distributed energy systems generate power close to where it is used, rather than relying on centralized grids.
This model is expanding globally, especially in regions where grid reliability is low.
YY Regen is currently focused on Lebanon, with plans to expand across MENA and the GCC region where agriculture and energy costs remain tightly linked.
Current Stage and Traction
YY Regen is in a growth phase, with its model already validated at a small scale. The company boasts over 30 farmers and their plots of land served and provided with clean, renewable energy. The growing demand can be interpreted by the full utilization of 10 deployed units and a waiting list.
For YY Regen, the most important signal is not adoption, but continued usage and the fact that units remain deployed rather than idle.
Outlook
The next phase for YY Regen depends less on demand and more on capital availability.
The model requires upfront investment from the company to deploy units, meaning growth is constrained by financing rather than market interest.
As distributed energy models expand globally, companies like YY Regen are testing how these systems perform in fragmented and crisis-prone environments.
Al-Muwaten will continue tracking this transition.
