- Olugbenga Olubanjo’s company Reeddi makes lightweight solar-powered batteries that customers can rent for 24 hours and power devices, including TVs, laptops and refrigerators.
- Olubanjo says one battery can power a TV for about five hours or a 15-watt fan for 15 hours.
Entrepreneur Olugbenga Olubanjo is offering an alternative. His company Reeddi rents out small, lightweight solar-powered batteries called “Reeddi Capsules” that can power devices, including TVs, laptops and refrigerators. Nigeria has vast energy reserves; However, more than 92 million people in the country live without electricity, according to the International Energy Agency. Those connected to the electricity grid have to contend with frequent power cuts, causing many Nigerians to rely on petrol and diesel to fuel the generators that power their homes and businesses.
Fuel shortages were a key issue in Nigeria’s recent presidential election and have made running noisy, expensive, air-polluting generators increasingly challenging. Reeddi was one of the finalists for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, recognising ambitious efforts to fix environmental problems. In a podcast, the Prince of Wales said, “the capsule will have a huge influence on communities where energy poverty is a big deal.” Reeddi was one of the finalists for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.
Olubanjo grew up in Nigeria and says that while studying engineering at the University of Ibadan, he often had to work on his assignments while contending with power cuts. As a postgraduate, he studied at the University of Toronto in Canada. He said, “For the first time in my life, I had access to electricity, and I saw my productivity quadruple”.
Reeddi Capsules can be bought with a solar panel for 199,000 Nigerian Naira (around $430) or rented from “mom-and-pop shops” for 24 hours for around 50 cents, charged using solar panels operated by Reeddi. Olubanjo says one battery can power a TV for about five hours or a 15-watt fan for 15 hours.
Currently, the batteries are only available in Nigeria, where Olubanjo says they are used by more than 1,600 people, mainly in Lagos and Ogun State. But across the continent, more than 600 million people lack access to electricity, according to the International Energy Agency. Olubanjo says organisations in Uganda, Ghana and South Africa have expressed an interest in the Reeddi Capsule. He said, “We’re going to try our best to optimise what we have in Nigeria before we scale it to that broader part of Africa.” Reeddi is not the only company offering battery packs as a generator alternative. UK-based Mobile Power rents out batteries in Nigeria, Zambia and Ghana.