Boma Safi Ltd, Kitui Industries Ltd, Pfoofy Power & Light Limited, SCODE Limited and Sollatek Electronics Kenya Limited are the Kenya winners of the Power Africa Off-Grid Energy Challenge sponsored by General Electric (GE), United States Africa Development Foundation (USADF) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
They will each receive a grant of $ 100,000 (Ksh8.9 million) for initiating off-grid solutions that deploy renewable resources and power socio-economic activities. They join a list of 22 winners from Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania who beat a field of nearly 300 entries and will also receive grants of $ 100,000 each. The Off-Grid Challenge is part of Power Africa, President Obama’s initiative to increase access to reliable, affordable, cleaner and more sustainable power in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Boma Safi’s winning entry was a proposal to use its tested distribution system to roll out five energy hubs in Kenya’s rural regions, aggregating sales and increasing the distribution of solar lanterns and efficient cookstove products. Kitui Industries Limited is proposing a “small-scale industrial revolution” by using cotton seeds from local farmers to produce bio-diesel fuel which is then sold along with multipurpose engines at a discount to the surrounding community.
Pfoofy Power & Light Limited submitted a proposal to expand its innovative “Ecotran” electric motorcycle, installing two ten-kilowatt service stations to charge 40 electric motorcycles for rural transportation hire in Kisumu County. SCODE Limited’s project proposal utilizes custom metering devices to sell solar home systems integrated with efficient micro-gasifier stoves on an affordable installment plan to Kenyans in Embu, Meru, and Uasin Gishu counties.
Sollatek Electronics Kenya Limited submitted a proposal to install “solar centers’ with cold storage, phone/battery charging, and solar lantern rental capabilities in fifteen fishing villages along the Indian Ocean coast in partnership with local fishermen communities. As part of Power Africa, the Off-Grid Challenge is helping ensure responsible, transparent and effective management of energy resources in Sub-Saharan Africa. The three year initiative was launched in 2013 with 6 winners drawn from Kenya and Nigeria receiving Usd 100,000 toward their projects.
The 2014 challenge was expanded to cover the six Power Africa focus countries consisting of Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania Jay Ireland, President and CEO of GE Africa said, “This challenge taps into expertise on how Africa’s challenges on power could best be solved from an African perspective. We bring in the technology, but the people on the ground also have valuable insights on what works best for Africa and innovative solutions to meet the power needs of the continent.” The President of the U.S. Africa Development Foundation (USADF) Shari Berenbach said, “USADF is committed to providing seed capital for local Energy Entrepreneurs who are developing new business models for delivering renewable energy solutions to rural communities. In today’s Africa, we need new approaches to bringing power to every community, particularly reaching those that are underserved by conventional grid-based systems.”
Andrew Herscowitz, the U.S. Coordinator for Power Africa, said, “These winners exemplify what Power Africa is all about: offering a variety of tools to help the private sector increase electricity access. Based on the Off-Grid Challenge’s success in bringing private-sector driven energy solutions to communities, as well as Power Africa’s other successes in helping 3,000 MW of new generation projects reach financial close, President Obama recently tripled Power Africa’s goal to now bring electricity to more than 60 million households and businesses across sub-Saharan Africa.”
Already the winners from the maiden edition in Nigeria and Kenya have started impacting their respective communities with energy solutions. Mibawa one of the 2013 Kenya winners is distributing solar energy systems with two lights and cell phone charging capability for rural communities in Eastern Kenya. Green Village Electricity (GVE) from Nigeria is providing solar powered energy to over 70 homes and hundreds of inhabitants of Egbeke community in Rivers state in the southern part of Nigeria. This system has now replaced the use of kerosene lamps in these communities. The final round of the Power Africa Off-Grid Energy Challenge will take place next year.
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