The European Union has given approval for a $3.4 million working capital facility under the ElectriFI Country Window for Nigeria for Okra Solar to use solar mesh-grids to target 76,000 energy access beneficiaries by the end of 2025.
Okra Solar will provide access to electricity through mesh-grid technology to mini-grid developers.
The initiative which was launched in 2016, Okra Solar developed the mesh-grid technology specifically to electrify underserved or un-served communities.
Their proprietary Okra Pod is a device that enables the solar systems installed at each household to communicate and share power through a low voltage transmission cable (creating the mesh-grid). The pods are sold with PV panels, battery and inverters.
The company has started focusing on the highly strategic Nigerian market and wants to deploy multiple pilot projects to energise more than 30,000 households in-country over the next two to three years.
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“Even with off-grid solutions like mesh-grids being 10 times cheaper than grid extension for hard-to-reach communities, 80 million people continue to live off-grid in Nigeria. Okra is incredibly excited to work with EDFI ElectriFI to deploy innovative financial tools that will enable local developers to deploy mesh-grids at scale and continue rapidly bringing power to the people,” said Afnan Hannan, Co-founder and CEO, Okra Solar.
