Energy access is significantly constrained in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Various factors simultaneously concur to this phenomenon. However, community-scale renewable energy and energy communities can support an increase in energy access. The literature presents substantial gaps concerning the electricity demand and related generation costs in SSA, specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where no literature could be found. Due to its fast-growing demography, addressing data scarcity in DRC is central to achieving universal electricity access. This research investigates the potential techno-economic and environmental impacts of micro-grids in rural solar energy communities. To do so, we develop a dataset providing data on demand estimations that consider the population, appliance ownership in these communities as well as electricity consumption of these appliances, according to which we sized the micro-grid and the storage. A techno-economic analysis is performed to quantify the costs related to the implementation of the system by conducting a levelized cost of energy analysis. Eventually, the CO₂ reduction potential is tested by comparing CO₂ emissions from a diesel generator to CO₂ emissions from PV and batteries. The results show that a 163-kW solar system with a storage capacity of 65 kWh could satisfy the residential load of the modeled community at an LCOE of 0.18 $/kWh. Based on these findings, policy recommendations were proposed to reduce this LCOE. CO₂ reduction potential was estimated to be 3649 tCO₂eq for the whole community. We stress the potential benefits that could result from implementing the energy communities and community-scale energy planning into policies.