Young Nigerian entrepreneurs innovate prepaid solar rental system
To tackle the challenges of high cost of solar equipments and concerns over durability of batteries, Femi Adeyemo and Kunle Odebunmi have innovated a prepaid solution in solar technology that relieves consumers the huge capital outlay required to deplore solar power.
For as little as N200 daily consumers can purchase 24 hour power supply that will light up their homes through a 3 watts LED bulbs, power electronic equipment like computers, television sets, printers and even a deep freezer.
According to the founders of Arnergy, their revolutionary system incorporates technology that will allow customers to buy recharge pin using a mobile electricity app or through an agent in areas without mobile network. The app synchronizes with the company’s cloud based serve infrastructure to unlock solar power when a 12 digit pin is keyed into the solar kit.
“This innovation came out of research and market feedback that we received from our customers. In Nigeria, customers want to have uninterrupted power, they want to acquire solar in their homes but because of the upfront cost most people cannot afford it so what we have done is take away the huge cost of buying the equipments and ask you to pay start up cost afterwards you pay N200 per day for electricity,” says Femi Adeyemo.
At media briefing held Friday at Ikeja, the young entrepreneurs demonstrated the simple process of setting up the device. The device consists of photovoltaic solar panel installed on the roof and a solar modified solar battery.
Consumers pay an initial start-up fee of N25,000 and afterwards they purchase N50 per day for a 300 wattage solution or N200 for 500 wattage.
A starter pack, contains a photovoltaic panel and a battery modified which has a key pad and a display unit where information about units purchased and consumption levels displayed. The Arenergy 300 comes with a radio and MP device for rural areas where electrical appliances are considered luxury.
“We want to help small businesses whose businesses are being threatened by irregular power supply,” states Kunle Odebunmi, charged with finance and business development “Arnergy 500 can power small businesses like barbers, tailors, business centers, real estate agencies, private homes and even small offices. It is cheap, it is clean and we take the stress of maintaining the equipments.”
Femi Adeyemo returned to Nigeria in 2013 after working in the United States and Asia to deplore the solution he has seen successfully deplored Middle East oil fields to power critical communications infrastructure.
In December 2015, the duo secured funding support from UK’s government Department for International Development (DfID) awarded by Adam Smith International (ASI) $146,000 grant to expand operations in northern Nigeria.
Their presentations secured long-term financing for the installation of off-grid solar home systems in six Nigerian communities with financing from BOI/UNDP programme has seen 2000 people in Osun and Edo states in the last seven months.
The entrepreneurs said they were now working to deplore the systems across Nigeria rather than limit it to rural areas.
ISAAC ANYAOGU