Okra Solar
Okra is an IoT technology solution that enables solar generating communities to share, store and uti But until now, power hasn’t been cheap.
For the vast majority of the 760Million people living off-grid, access to reliable electricity brings about a whole new world of opportunities and experiences. 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 pa
11/11/2024
We’ve got an exciting partnership to announce today 🤝 🚀
Okra Solar is proud to announce a strategic partnership with , a leader in the agricultural ecosystem and also an e-commerce platform. Together, we’re supercharging all mesh-grid communities by providing and financing productive use equipment.
With DARES Nigeria about to launch, designing projects to be sustainable in the long term is more important now than ever.
Long-term off-grid electrification is dependent on partners coming together to provide services that improve economic activity in rural communities. This economic activity then drives more viable energy projects!
A few things this partnership will enable:
🟢 Community engagement for Okra Solar mesh grid communities
🟢 Sharing of learnings between all parties
🟢 Supply and financing of appliances
🟢 The initial line of credit is NGN 2,500,000 available in communities served by Okra
We see this opening the door for many rural communities to thrive and can’t wait to see where this partnership leads!
If you haven’t already, check out the great work Afrimash are doing in Nigeria!
How does a mesh-grid grow with your community? 🌱
Check out how mesh-grids are designed to power everything from basic household power to supporting productive businesses.
Another shoutout to Gillian-Alexandre Huart at ENGIE Energy Access(Africa) for championing the Multi-Technology Approach!
Have any questions? Share them in the comments or reach out to our team!
Reaching last-mile communities has always been a challenge. How can mesh-grids help bridge the gap? 🤝
With such a big challenge, we need a bigger solution than traditional methods. Enter the multi-technology approach. Curious? Check out the insightful whitepaper from ENGIE Energy Access & Gillian-Alexandre Huart here: https://engie-energyaccess.com/news/whitepaper_towards_universal_accesstoenergy
Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments or reach out to our team! 💡
What Makes an Optimal Site For Mesh-Grids? ⚡️
Explore how mesh-grids can drive successful and long-lasting electrification projects in your portfolio.
Have questions? Drop them in the comments or reach out to our team!
19/08/2024
Last-mile communities have proven difficult to reach. What can mesh-grids do about it? 🌱
In today's post, we continue our series on getting started with mesh-grids by delving into where they fit in the overall electrification mix. ⚡️
If you're curious about the multi-technology approach, check out the great work done by ENGIE & Gillian-Alexandre Huart in their whitepaper here: https://engie-energyaccess.com/news/whitepaper_towards_universal_accesstoenergy
If you have any electrifying questions or ideas 💡, let us know in the comments below! Or get in touch with our team here: https://www.okrasolar.com/contact
Tune in next week to find out how mesh-grids can be configured to power the unique needs of different communities. 🧩
Here is the second part in our discussion with Olufemi Akinyelure, the head PMU at the REA. In this part we learn that:
➡️ The DARES program will be encouraging commercial viability by enabling various models that haven't been mainstream in funding programs before, such as interconnected mini-grids, mesh-grids and encouraging remote monitoring.
➡️ The DARES program will also be ensuring hard to reach communities are not left behind, and the grant will be "opened up for everyone" encouraging all developers to apply with all technologies to reach all sites.
Although we don't have complete details yet, our understanding so far is that different sites will have different subsidy levels.
As we learn more, we’ll be releasing guides, tips and updates to give you the best chance of being a part of this DARES program as news becomes publicly available. For access, sign up to our special mailing list - The Okra Insider!
👉 https://lnkd.in/dMq9vVtX
13/08/2024
When it comes to off-grid communities, which ones are most suitable for mesh-grids? 🏘️
In this series, we’ll get you up to speed with how mesh-grids work and how they can fit into your portfolio as a developer to enable profitable & sustainable electrification projects. 🌱💵
If you have any burning questions, let us know in the comments below! Or get in touch with one of our team here: https://www.okrasolar.com/contact 📞
Tune in next week to find out how mesh-grids stack up against the other forms of electrification. 💡
At the successful EAIF Event, we sat down with Olufemi Akinyelure, the head PMU at the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria to discuss the upcoming $750M DARES program and what it could mean for mesh-grids.
In this first video of a three-part series, we cover:
➡️ Take a critical look on expanding the productive use component of the grant (check out companies like Afrimash Company Limite doing some really cool work here).
➡️ The grants that will be awarded will be designed to support energizing the hardest to reach communities.
➡️ The DARES program is going to encourage scaling up of developers’ businesses, with the goal of becoming grant independent after the DARES program.
We’ll be releasing guides, tips and updates to give you the best chance of being a part of this DARES program as news becomes publicly available. For access, sign up to our special mailing list - The Okra Insider!
👉 https://share.hsforms.com/1K_tZS_R6Q9ez6AIOhn2iSw2bo5p
13/06/2024
Two BIG milestones HIT! 🎯
In the past few days, we crossed two exciting milestones: 2,000 households in Haiti and a total of 5,000 worldwide have now been energized with Okra mesh-grids!
Our Haiti project is steadily completing 35 households/day, and our partner Alina Eneji is on their way to 5,000! The pace and dedication of their team is an inspiration to us, especially amidst the challenges in the country right now - keep an eye out for a blog about this coming out soon.
Here’s to the next 5,000 🏠!
03/05/2024
Our biggest project ever is going full steam ahead 🚂
Alina Eneji recently trained this installer team, and they're showing fantastic results! Having hit 415 households installed in April, they're now currently completing 35 households/day. They're well on their way to completing the biggest mesh-grid installation ever of 5,000 households.
Huge congratulations to Alina and the team! Your dedication is making a real impact on people's lives. Let's keep the momentum going!
22/04/2024
We promise this wasn’t timed intentionally..
As of this morning, 20,000 people are now energized with Okra mesh-grids globally! 🎉🏠
The 20,000th person connected was in Haiti, during the third scale-up phase of Alina Eneji’s operations there. Despite the challenging situation there, Alina has been racing to energize more households, with a target of having 5,000 households energized by August of this year!
Great job Alina Eneji and all of our partners bringing more
27/11/2023
Recently our partner First Electric deployed the world’s first Okra Pod system, capable of outputting 3.6kW ⚡️. It’s now powering a kitchen in Igbobini, Nigeria 🇳🇬.
Thanks to their new e-cooking setup, this couple now saves a significant amount of money and time every month by not needing to buy LPG and search the nearby area for firewood. They also no longer have to worry about the annoyance and harmful health effects of the smoke generated by their cooking 🥘.
This is just one showcase of the power of this new stacked system and we can’t wait to see the other ways our end users will take advantage of it!
This project was funded by Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS). So a big thank you to them, along with , ESMAP - Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, , and First Electric for making this happen.
See what restaurant owners themselves think - we think their expression says it all! Watch the video on our Youtube channel.
20/11/2023
05/09/2023
📢 Today, we are proud to announce that..
We have closed our Series-A round, securing over $12M in combined debt and equity financing!
A massive & warm acknowledgment to At One Ventures for leading in equity, along with FMO - Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, Susquehanna International Group, LLP (SIG), Autodesk Foundation, and King Philanthropies. With the debt financing provided by EDFI ElectriFI - The Electrification Financing Initiative.
This capital sets the stage for mesh-grids to scale in big ways throughout 🇳🇬 and beyond!
Read more about what this means for Okra and the mesh-grid industry here 👉https://hubs.li/Q0217ShP0
26/07/2023
⚡️ Power has now reached its 1,000th Okra household in the heart of Haiti 🇭🇹.
💡👀 Can you believe it? Despite the towering challenges, we’ve hit a remarkable milestone this year, and it's all thanks to our powerhouse partner, Alina Eneji.
We're committed to sparking more change. So stay tuned, as there's a lot more to come. 🚀🌍
15/05/2023
Just kicked off our company-wide hackathon in Porto! 🚀
We're beyond excited to have everyone together for the next two weeks to get aligned, work deep on problems and have a bunch of fun together!
22/04/2023
🌿🌍 Happy International Earth Day 2023 🌏🌿
Did you know? By replacing diesel fuel generators alone with solar mesh-grids, we've offset an estimated of 173,000kg of CO2e emissions in the past 12 months! And that's not even counting those saved by switching from fossil fuel to electric cookstoves.
As we continue to power remote communities with renewable energy through our mesh-grids, we recognize the importance of climate action for our planet's most vulnerable areas. We're grateful to all of our partners who help us keep moving our mission forward every day: to bring clean !
We're wishing a happy and fulfilling Good Friday to everyone today.
Did you know? Easter is a major holiday celebrated across the five continents that we operate in. However you choose to celebrate it, we hope that you're able to enjoy a delicious meal with your loved ones and spend some quality time together.
Here's to unity, community, and a wonderful weekend ahead!
Power to the people
For the vast majority of the 1.2 billion people living off-grid, access to reliable electricity brings about a whole new world of opportunities and experiences. But until now, power hasn’t been cheap.
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. Remote monitoring keeps grid operators informed so they can eliminate blackouts, adapt to variations in demand and identify exactly where and when the grid needs scaling. Each household is metered and charged using mobile payments, meaning families without bank accounts can easily access affordable power, for the first time.
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