The Problem
1 of every 2 Nigerians is constantly living without reliable electricity. People are resorting to self-generation which is expensive and dangerous. This problem can be a greater burden for small business owners. With low wage workers cannot produce because of high energy costs. Electricity is no longer a problem we can take for granted. We need to deliver a secure, sustainable, renewa
ble energy source and reestablish hope in the region. Our Products and Services
ICE is developing and implementing innovative solutions to tackle this major problem. ICE is designing and building modular microgrids powered by photovoltaic (PV) panels located onsite (roofs, designated solar parks, etc) complete with a smart metering system with the capability to monitor energy generation and consumption, in addition to allowing for secure payment processing. These solar microgrids will be used to power aggregates or clusters of small businesses. Validation
For our first pilot program, we have designed a modular 15 kW solar microgrid with 15 clients in a commercial shopping center in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. The majority of businesses in the shopping center have operating hours from approximately 7am to 7pm daily. The proposed microgrid will be installed on the roof of the shopping center. The clients are connected to the microgrid via smart meters, which allow for the automatic monitoring and regulation of power usage remotely via cloud access. The program has a projected start date of December 20, 2016. Market and Growth Strategy
With a population of about 200 million people and a GDP of over $560 billion, Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa but its economic development is significantly hampered by an electrification rate of approximately 50%. In addition, estimates show that 41% of business owners resort to self-generation of electricity, further affecting their bottom line. The Nigerian Federal Government estimates that an additional 26.6 GW of total electricity will be needed to meet the national electricity demand by 2020. We project a growing market that will be fueled by federal efforts to meet national electricity demands. Our target customer segment includes commercial shopping centers and the business owners within. After initial analysis of our first pilot site city, we project a potential industry with $11M of annual revenue for small businesses in Asaba, Delta State alone. We have devised a marketing approach for acquiring potential clients that is initially targeted directly to commercial center owners/landlords and then ultimately engages their tenants as a captive audience for our service. We have planned a series of pilot programs across various cities in Southwest Nigeria. After successful initiation and maintenance of the microgrid at each pilot site for 2 months, we will expand from that initial microgrid into clusters of microgrids within each city.
