A community solar-powered lighting installation to facilitate access to electricity (NANOGRID)

It is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa, 620 million out of 800 million inhabitants had no access to electricity in 2017. The energy gap is a massive brake both on development, and on the fight against inequality in the region. Sunna Design has developed a photovoltaic solution that brings light to entire villages. The company finances and operates a fleet of community solar-powered lighting systems providing basic energy services which combine public lighting with a domestic electricity solution.

The FFEM supports the deployment of the NANOGRID system in Senegal through the Private Sector Climate Innovation Facility. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the technical and commercial relevance of the NANOGRID, and do so in a real-world situation so that it can evolve. Longer-term it could be deployed at larger scale in off-grid regions of Senegal.

The project will be rolled out in five phases:

• Identification of the recipient villages and arranging contracts with the customers in about ten priority villages chosen after consultation with the local authorities.
• Production and installation of the solution and full familiarisation of customers with the offer, payment methods and the system’s operating principles.
• Operation of the solution by a local reseller network.
• Servicing and maintenance of the equipment at no additional cost to users.
• Monitoring and analysis of client needs through satisfaction surveys, to fine-tune the offer’s technical and commercial details.

• Diversification of the energy mix in Casamance.
• Reduction of household energy bills by 15 to 20%, and improvement of the ecological footprint.
• Reduction of health risks related to the use of polluting light sources.
• Facilitating domestic, commercial and artisan activities.

This project delivers an innovative offer for energy access based on the technological performance of the NANOGRID system, which also has exceptional operational life well-suited to local environmental constraints. The offer is based on the Pay As You Go financial model. The technology developed also has a low environmental impact thanks to the use of downlighting LED bulbs. It is expected that long-term this technology will evolve to respond to the wishes of the rural populations in emerging countries, developing both access to the digital revolution, and domestic comfort and convenience.