Creeds Energy has energized 50 households in Bassa, Nasarawa State, with 24-hour solar energy access using mesh-grids from Okra Solar.
The 50 household project with Creeds Energy marks Okra’s third successful deployment of mesh-grids in Nigeria. Creeds has a track record of deploying successful projects and is aiming to rapidly expand their mesh-grid portfolio to 910 households with the financial support of the Rural Electrification Agency’s Solar Power Naija program.
The project was installed in five days, with households generating clean power instantly. The total project has 10kW of solar PV generation, 51.2kWh of battery storage capacity (LFP), and supplies an average daily load of 460Wh/day, sized for 99% network uptime.
Okra’s innovative “plug-and-play” mesh-grid technology is installed at each household, just like typical rooftop solar home systems, and allows neighbouring households to interconnect and share excess energy. This increases the overall energy availability and reliability of the service, similar to mini-grids. Households energized by the mesh-grid in Bassa will be able to use electric cooking, refrigeration and water pumping amongst other productive use appliances.
The cost per connection for this 50 household pilot was less than USD $1,000/household, which represents an estimated 30% cost saving compared to delivering the same amount of power (460Wh/day) using a traditional centralised mini-grid.
The scale-up phase of the project will see Creeds electrifying an additional 910 households and businesses spread across the Bassa community and the nearby market area. These areas currently lack access to electricity altogether or are predominantly using diesel generators as a primary source of electricity.
The scale-up project will also energise a mosque and a health care centre, creating a green hub in the centre of Nasarawa State. In 2015, the United Nations set out to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, including SDG7: clean and affordable energy access for all. Nigeria still has about 90 million people without basic energy access, but projects like this one in Bassa are an example of how local companies are using innovative approaches to make an impact.
Hannah Kabir, CEO of Creeds Energy, commented:
“Our partnership with Okra has ushered in endless possibilities for delivering energy access to the multitude of households and businesses in need. The first of many, this project showcases the potential of Creeds Litedey model with emerging technologies and solutions aimed at powering prosperity.”
“Creeds Energy is doing some amazing work in Nigeria. We are proud to be working with a local team with a woman founder, Hannah who is an amazing entrepreneur with an amazing team. They have a great grasp of community and social development needs, and the fact that they’re energising households using Okra mesh-grid technology is really heartwarming and we’re fully backing them as they scale out to energise more households.”
About Okra Solar
Okra Solar’s mission is to facilitate sustainable energy access for last-mile communities around the globe. Developers have used okra Solar’s Mesh-Grid technology in Cambodia, the Philippines, Haiti and Nigeria to deploy clean and reliable power in remote communities using off-the-shelf solar panels and batteries that can be interconnected into scalable networks. Okra Solar’s SaaS platform also equips energy companies with remote monitoring, maintenance insights and mobile payments, so that operators can stay informed to prevent blackouts. Okra Solar’s work has been recognised by Forbes, TechCrunch and the Cleantech Forum for its potential to create lasting impact, and it’s investors include Schneider Electric and TepCo Power.
About Creeds Energy
Creeds Renewable Energy Ltd is a professional renewable energy services and solution provider, sustainably addressing energy and electricity challenges by improving energy access for the underserved and unserved, through the promotion of clean and energy efficient solar technologies.