Batteries for hire could help Nigerians ditch their generators – Reeddi company

Even though Nigeria has a lot of energy, more than 92 million people in the country don’t have electricity, according to an organization called the International Energy Agency. People who are connected to the electricity grid have to deal with power cuts often. These power cuts are expensive for the country, costing around $28 billion a year, which is almost 2% of its GDP.

Because of this, a lot of Nigerians use petrol and diesel to run the generators that provide electricity for their homes and businesses.

However, generators make a lot of noise, they cost a lot of money, and they release harmful substances into the air. In Nigeria’s recent presidential election, a big problem was the lack of fuel. This has made it really hard to use generators.

Entrepreneur Olugbenga Olubanjo has come up with another choice. His company, Reeddi, loans out small, lightweight batteries called “Reeddi Capsules” that use solar power. These batteries can provide energy to devices such as TVs, laptops, and refrigerators.

Reeddi was chosen as a finalist for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, a prize that rewards ambitious attempts to solve environmental issues. In a podcast, the Prince of Wales said that the capsule will have a big impact on communities with a lot of energy poverty.

Olubanjo is from Nigeria and while he was studying engineering at the University of Ibadan, he had to do his school work without electricity a lot. He continued studying at the University of Toronto in Canada after finishing his initial studies. “I had electricity for the first time ever and I noticed that I was able to get four times as much work done,” Olubanjo shared.

Sometimes, when I would call my family and friends in my home country, their electricity would suddenly go out. This shows that there is a big difference in access to energy between different places. “I knew a lot about the community, so I felt like I had to do something,” he said.

You can buy Reeddi Capsules with a solar panel for 199,000 Nigerian Naira or rent them for 24 hours from small shops for about 50 cents. The rented capsules are powered by Reeddi solar panels. Olubanjo says that with one battery, you can use a TV for about five hours or a 15-watt fan for 15 hours.

This means that using it is more costly than using electricity from the power grid, but it is usually less expensive than operating a generator.

Joel Jewell, a trader in Ogun State, says he uses the small device on a regular basis to charge his laptop and phone. If he doesn’t have it, he has to use his generator when the power goes out. “He said that sometimes we only get less than two hours of electricity. ” Reeddi coming is like a prayer being answered.

Right now, the batteries can only be bought in Nigeria. Olubanjo says that over 1,600 people use them there, mostly in Lagos and Ogun State. However, there are over 600 million people in the continent who do not have electricity, according to the International Energy Agency.

Olubanjo says that some organizations in countries like Uganda, Ghana, and South Africa are interested in the Reeddi Capsule. “He said we will do our best to improve what we have in Nigeria before expanding to the rest of Africa. ”

Mobile Power, a company in the UK, rents out batteries in countries like Nigeria, Zambia, and Ghana.

Anita Otubu, who works for a group associated with the United Nations called Sustainable Energy for All, believes that companies like Reeddi are important in helping Nigeria have better access to energy.

But she says that if Reeddi wants to grow its business, it must make the battery rentals cheaper “or increase the amount of power each system can hold, so that Nigerians can get their money’s worth when they buy these systems. ”

The company’s main problem, according to Olubanjo, is making enough products to meet the demand. It takes three to four months to produce each batch of batteries. However, he believes that Reeddi can make a bigger difference.

“He said the aim is to improve the future for many Nigerians and Africans. ”