RENEWVIA ENERGY
RENEWVIA ENERGY
RENEWVIA ENERGY MINIGRID
DEVELOPMENT
TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES
For the 860 million people around the world living without access to electricity, new technologies and solutions provide hope for a brighter future. One of these technologies is the minigrid: a standalone power system that operates autonomously from a country's main power supply. According to the World Bank, minigrids have the potential to provide electricity to as many as half a billion people by 2030, with the right policies and levels of investment.
Minigrids do not just bring reliable, clean electricity to communities for the first time, they transform lives. Suddenly, where there was no electricity or light, children study at night, businesses expand and buy new appliances, and new business ideas come to life. Simply, reliable electricity is a foundational element for a community to lift itself up and achieve economic growth.
RENEWVIA SOLUTION
Renewvia builds, installs, and operates minigrids using a combination of energy generation (we've developed solar and wind) with energy storage (in batteries) to produce energy and supply it on demand.
Everyday, we see the power of reliable electricity in action -- shops now stay open at night in the Kaloybeyi Settlement in Northern Kenya. New businesses have formed in Ndeda Island, an healthcare facilities are being powered in Oliobiri in the Niger Delta. These are just a few examples of the immediate impact a community experiences when a Renewvia minigrid is commissioned.
Renewvia has successfully deployed minigrids in a wide variety of environments. In Kenya, we've built minigrids on island in Lake Victoria and in the semi-arid north. In Nigeria, we've built larger minigrids for remote communities in the Niger Delta. Right now we're serving over 20,000 people through 4,300 connections to residences and businesses and we are working to grow that portfolio substantially over the next few years.
CHALLENGES MET
But how do you deliver power poles to an island with no dock? How do you ensure that batteries won't die prematurely in remote and harsh conditions? How do you ensure that nobody is stealing power?
Renewvia's staff in Africa has deep experience in solving these problems and many more. We roll with the punches and know how to get the job done no matter the regulatory, logistical, or technical hurdles.
CASHLESS PAYMENTS
Renewvia utulizes a state-of-the-art proprietary payments collection platform to enable easy payment processing for our customers. In each country where we work, we partner with a local mobile money provider (such as M-Pesa in Kenya) to enable cashless payments. This, coupled with our use of internet-connected smart meters, enables a precise and up-to-the-minute level of monitoring and control.
Customers manage their accounts from their mobile phones, consuming pre-paid power and topping up as needed. Renewvia makes extensive use of SMS messages, giving customers low balance warnings, messages about maintenance, and payment confirmations. Customers can check their balance in seconds and are notified if someone else makes a payment on their behalf.
All of this was build with scalability in mind. We only use technologies that are country-agnostic and enabled for millions of transactions.
VALUE IN ENERGY
Economic growth depends on reliable energy, and there is no bigger growth market than in sub-Saharan Africa. When power comes to a community for the first time, new businesses are formed, children can go to school for longer periods and study at night, and existing business owners buy new electrical appliances to take advantage of their new energy access.
Renewvia has partnered with several bi-lateral and multilateral institutions, funders and foundations ranging from DFD, All-On, GIZ, USAID, The World Bank, AFD, DPI, and more. We are always looking for new partners to help expand our reach.
We are in the early stages of an energy revolution in Africa. The growth potential and the impact on communities and economies -- is unlimited. For information on our work and partnership opportunities, please contact us below.