Africa Innovates Magazine - Flipbook - Page 34
ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Photo credit: Community-Based Microgrids
SHARING IS
CARING:
ENHANCING
ACCESS TO
GREEN ENERGY
IN SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA
Management student Nonso Asuoha is the
founder of Community-Based Microgrids – an
innovative distributed smart microgrid system
which enables energy sharing and trading,
giving more people a stake in enhancing clean
energy access.
The system is based on a peer-to-peer sharing
platform, and aims to maximize energy
efficiency through a pooled clean energy
system. It mitigates the risk of critical power
failure with a decentralized system and lowers
the costs and payback period.
The idea disrupts the usual centralized solar
minigrid system model, and targets individuals
in housing estates, communities and residential
clusters, as well as businesses.
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Community-based
Smart
Microgrids
participated in the 2021 CTCN Youth Climate
Innovation Labs Demo Day. The CTCN Youth
Climate Labs and Academy is a program
focused on helping idea-stage companies
develop, implement and scale their solutions
for climate action. The program is organized
by the UN Climate Technology Centre and
Network (CTCN) in partnership with SAFEEM
and funded by the European Union. In
2021, eleven startups specializing in energy
sustainability, electricity, food, agriculture,
deforestation, environment, and waste
management pitched their solutions at the
Youth Climate Innovation Lab Demo Day.
“We are taking
action against
energy poverty
in Africa, working
to defeat
environmental
challenges on the
continent.”
Nonso Asuoha,
Community-Based Microgrids CEO
SHOWCASING AFRICAN CLIMATE CHAMPIONS
