This is a £700 000 project, for which the UK is providing 70% of the funding.

Ishaq Bolarinwa, CEO of Anfani, is collaborating with fellow Oxford Saïd alumni Tom Gibson, Michael McKenna, and Dougald Coulson, Co-Founders of Gyre Energy, to create a network of storage-integrated solar/wind hybrid systems across the African nation, using wind turbines, solar panels, and thermal storage at cold storage sites. The Government funding will help to bring this product to market.

World Bank research has shown, 85 million Nigerians (43% of the population), do not have access to grid electricity, making Nigeria the country with the largest energy access deficit in the world. Lack of reliable power is a significant constraint for citizens and businesses – resulting in annual estimated losses of US$26.2 billion.

Ishaq commented: “People’s limited access to energy is holding Nigeria back. What we’re doing has the potential to change things – and it hits that sweet spot of being good for the wider economy and saving people money, while also helping protect the planet and improve air quality.”

The consortium, which also includes three academics from Oxford’s Department for Engineering Science, won funding for the project through the ZE-Gen Technology Accelerator, whose partners include the UK Government’s Innovate UK, which is helping drive forward the clean energy transition in developing countries.

After competing against 20 other projects during the first ‘discovery phase’ of the programme, the Anfani-led consortium is one of just five consortia to have been moved through to the second ‘lift off’ phase, that will see them focus on industrial research, product development, and testing.

Professor Lucia Corsini, Dr Jesus Lizana, and Ana Outeirinho Morgado from Oxford’s Department for Engineering Science are part of the consortium along with doctoral student, Bogosi Msutwana. Outside of Oxford, it includes Sirius-X Energy (Anfani’s Technical Partner in the Phase 1 Discovery Phase) and ThinkClock Battery Labs.

Following this second stage, the most successful projects will be put forward to the final ‘flight’ phase of the ZE-Gen Technology Accelerator, focused on experimental development, involving the demonstration and validation of innovations in-country.

Gyre Energy Co-Founder, Tom Gibson, noted: “We’re excited for Gyre Energy to deploy into the Nigeria landscape, accelerating the opportunities that can be unlocked with renewable energy powered off-grid cooling systems globally. As a mission driven start-up, we are thrilled to be working alongside this ambitious consortium, led by Anfani, to innovate new solutions for energy access in a practical way.”

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/12062025/oxford-sad-alumni-wins-uk-government-funding-to-deliver-renewable-energy-to-nigeria/