Smart grid scale-up
This project transforms wasted energy into community power. By leveraging smart grids and machine learning, the project distributes surplus power from multiple solar PV arrays (anchor sources) to underserved households and small businesses. The aim is to enable greener, more efficient, and more equitable energy systems.
INITIATED
IN PROGRESS
CLOSING
Completed
Smart Energy
Background
There is an energy paradox in many African countries, and Nigeria is no exception. While around 600 million people lack access to electricity, tens of gigawatts of solar PV systems often operate at just 10–60% utilization. Communities rely heavily on costly, carbon-intensive diesel generators to bridge this energy gap.
In addition, the existing grid is not equipped for bidirectional electricity flow, preventing excess generation from being shared. Batteries have a storage limit, and there is no framework for energy sharing. As a result, surplus energy is lost, driving up business and living costs, increasing carbon emissions, and accelerating global warming.
Ubuntu Energy is deploying novel smart grids and energy-sharing frameworks to curb energy waste and improve and expand energy access across Nigeria and Africa. By complementing existing grid infrastructure, the project seeks to electrify hard-to-reach consumers, reduce diesel consumption, and support climate action.
Transformational innovation
Ubuntu Energy is deploying:
Novel smart distribution hardware: Automates energy distribution
Smart alternative current (AC) grids: A low-loss distribution medium
Energy trading software: the enabling framework for remote monitoring and control.
The system distributes power from each anchor solar PV system to multiple consumers in localized smart grids. The 2,000 project sites supported by UNIDO will become captive plants and electrify up to 40,000 households and small businesses. Independent solar PV owners will be able to trade energy to their communities, reducing payback time and encouraging more private financing and investment in solar energy.
Through smart grid systems, Ubuntu Energy aims to democratize power generation and catalyse mass electrification in Africa. Technologies such as machine learning are incorporated to enable generation and demand prediction, further enhancing efficiency and demand-side response.
Objectives
The project aims to improve electrification access using existing clean energy sources. The technology can distribute power from one anchor site to up to 20 consumers, providing access to underserved and hard-to-electrify users.
By connecting these consumers, the project will reduce diesel consumption and avoid associated carbon emissions. By the end of the project, the 2,000 systems are expected to electrify between 10,000 and 40,000 homes and small businesses in both rural and urban communities. It also aims to improve energy access and support the livelihoods of community members, including marginalized women and children.
The business model–transforming solar PV owners into income-generating prosumers–is expected to catalyse further investment in clean energy, supporting broader energy access goals.
Consumption and generation data, informed by predictive algorithms, may also support policy development and planning for cities and grid infrastructure. The system is designed to be a viable commercial and technological solution to scale up electrification.
Expected impacts
The project is expected to generate environmental, social, economic, and technological impacts.
Environmental: Diesel generators will be replaced, and emissions reduced, by scaling solar PV utilization. This is especially important as Nigeria’s population is projected to reach 500 million by the end of the century, driving energy demand that must be met sustainably.
Social: Small businesses, many of them run by women, face challenges in accessing reliable energy. Clean energy alternatives will empower these communities. In addition, improved electricity access supports access to information and education.
Economic: Replacing costly diesel with solar energy will lead to direct cost savings and reduce energy expenses for underserved communities.
Technological: The deployment of new technologies will contribute to continued innovation in Africa’s energy landscape.
About the lead organization
Greenage Technologies is a cleantech company using indigenous innovation to support Africa’s energy transition. Its team of experienced engineers develops smart power electronics and clean energy products for underserved homes, businesses, and institutions.
Greenage has already deployed its solutions across thousands of sites, generating several GWh of energy. It has also invested in local startups, including one that operates an electric vehicle retrofit company, with Greenage providing core technology and support.
Greenage is a leader in the development of novel smart grid systems and is supported by both international and local partners, including All On, Innovate UK, and UNIDO.
About the project partners
Nithio Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated energy finance and data company providing satellite imagery of underutilized PV systems in Nigeria and Africa. It will profile system risks and support investment planning.
SolarGIS provides clean energy data and will deliver predictive solar generation data for all 2,000 deployment sites.
Eauxwell, Nigeria’s leading clean energy deployment company, will support the rollout of Ubuntu systems, including at telecommunication towers in rural areas.
Private Estates International West Africa, a major real estate company, has committed to equipping its estates with Ubuntu systems.
Oxford University’s Energy and Power Group will provide machine learning expertise to support energy demand forecasting and generation prediction.
Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries include unserved and underserved communities in vulnerable and hard-to-reach areas. These include small, women-led businesses and energy-poor households that cannot afford solar PV systems and are impacted by rising fuel costs. Through the project, these consumers will be connected to existing solar arrays in their communities, improving access to clean energy and supporting social and economic well-being.
Owners of underutilized PV systems will also benefit, as they will be able to increase the value of their systems and generate revenue through energy sharing. This, in turn, will incentivize further solar deployment. The project also supports government efforts to meet Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national energy access targets.
The project contributes to several SDGs:
SDG 1, 7: By replacing expensive diesel with clean, affordable solar PV, the project reduces the energy cost burden on energy-poor communities, particularly in rural areas.
SDG 5: Women and marginalized groups will benefit significantly. Clean energy access reduces business and household costs, enhancing women’s economic opportunities.
SDG 8: Productive use of clean energy supports safer, more sustainable economic growth and decent work opportunities.
SDG 9, 11: Smart grids provide the infrastructure needed for grid upgrades and innovation in developing countries. The project helps modernize and decentralize energy systems, supporting sustainable cities and communities.
SDG 13: By replacing diesel and improving energy system efficiency, the project mitigates emissions and contributes to climate action. It supports the global net-zero target and the long-term goal of carbon removal.
Additional resources
Project Key Information
Lead organization
Greenage Technologies Power Systems Ltd.
Consortium partners
- Nithio Inc
- SolarGis
- Eauxwell Nigeria Ltd
Duration
01 Feb 2025 - 01 Mar 2028
Location
Nigeria
Thematic area
Smart Energy
Stage
Initiated
Website
Call
1st Call for Proposals
Clean Hydrogen
Critical Minerals
Industrial Decarbonization