Okra – Business model revolution with mesh-grid (Nigeria)
Description
- Title of project: Renewvia’s Mesh-Grid Discovery: From O&M Optimisation to Business Model Revolution
- Type of system: Mesh-grid installation
- Location of project: Nigeria
- Completion date: 2024
Company description
- Okra: Okra is a plug & play hardware + software solution that allows smart pay-as-you-go microgrids to be created by connecting existing off the shelf solar panels and batteries. Okra mesh-grid design allows for grids to start small, with more panels and batteries able to be added to the grid to increase capacity as demand increases.
- Renewvia: Renewvia partners with large and small businesses alike to develop solar, energy storage, and utility scale assets on any and all types of property
The Challenge
Since 2018, Renewvia has operated 364 connections with mini-grids across the communities of Oloibiri and Akipelai, with typical operational challenges for mini-grid projects. In 2024, they faced repeated instances of an issue that threatened the project’s viability: a handful of power hungry users on one side of the grid, along with system losses, plus power theft was regularly overwhelming the grid’s capacity, causing system-wide blackouts that brought uptime down to an average of 60% across their sites (ranging between 40% and 85%). The traditional solution would be to upgrade the entire mini-grid infrastructure, but the energy revenues coming was not making this a viable option – the economics didn’t add up.
Renewable Solution
After learning about Okra through an outreach from CEO Afnan, Renewvia saw an opportunity to test a different approach. They were drawn to mesh-grids’ lower capex and Okra’s proven track record with Nigerian partners like First Electric, Creeds, PAM Africa. In 2024, they deployed a 75-connection mesh-grid (15 Hub, 60 Spoke) in Emakalakala, just 5-10 minutes from their existing mini-grid. This proximity meant one team could manage both sites at the same time, and test whether this could improve their portfolio economics.
Okra
Project Outcome
The results exceeded expectations on almost every metric:
- Operating costs dropped as Sam, their regional service manager, now manages both the mesh-grid and mini-grid simultaneously, as well as lower inherent mesh-grid operating costs.
- The mesh-grid’s capex per connection came in at approximately 50% lower than their mini-grid deployments, even as a pilot project.
- Revenue performance hit 99% of target, slashing the payback period by 3 years.
- Uptime is now sitting at 99.1% (compared to the initial target of 90%).
Most importantly, this means that the mesh-grid has solved their reliability crisis. The dramatically improved uptime is a result of the ability for mesh-grids to handle simultaneous peak loads from multiple households.
A small group of women, Idiam, Evelyn, Faith, and Better (pictured above) have been trained as local community repairers, fixing and installing basic electronics. It’s part of a heartwarming story of how one person taught himself to maintain the infrastructure in his community and is now spreading knowledge to others, which can be read here.
These results triggered a fundamental strategic shift at Renewvia. They’re now rolling out a pipeline of 21,000+ connections over the next 18 months focused entirely on mesh-grids. They’re also launching an appliance financing pilot with Afrimash and Okra’s LMA app to drive even higher revenues. The lessons are clear: mesh-grids aren’t just complementary to mini-grids, they can deliver superior economics as well. Their ability to meet simultaneous peak demand makes them resilient to blackouts from high demand, while the operational savings between sites means they can benefit from being coupled near mini-grids too. Perhaps most importantly, the mesh-grids’ modularity means communities can grow their energy use naturally, without being constrained by initial sizing decisions.
Find out more: https://www.okrasolar.com/case-study/renewvias-mesh-grid-discovery-from-o-m-optimization-to-business-model-revolution