Grid Analytics Platform

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the lack of electricity access and high energy losses pose significant challenges. According to the International Energy Agency, nearly 600 million people in the region lack access to electricity. Operational inefficiencies result in electricity utilities losing 23% of the energy they produce, amounting to annual losses of £29 billion.

This situation forces residents to resort to expensive and environmentally damaging alternatives such as diesel generators or traditional fuel sources like wood or dung.

To tackle these pressing issues, OrxaGrid, SCOPE, and Kilembe Investments Limited (KIL) are collaborating on the development of an innovative solution called the Grid Analytics Platform (GAP). Building upon their previous partnerships, the project aims to address utility inefficiencies and enhance energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa.

OrxaGrid, based in the UK, will lead the project by developing a software orchestration platform that creates a digital twin of the utility grid. This innovative platform provides network visibility and enables prompt detection of outages and losses, revolutionising electricity distribution. SCOPE, based in India, will design rugged low-cost IoT grid management devices that can be retrofitted into existing infrastructure.

KIL, located in Uganda, will serve as the test bed for the implementation of this system in their rural Western Uganda grid network.

GAP replaces manual estimation of energy losses and outage readings with an intelligent IoT system that predicts and alerts utilities about losses and outages in a cost-effective manner. GAP also offers a consumer onboarding platform to expedite connecting new consumers to the electricity network.This system offers a more efficient alternative to the current labour-intensive processes and presents a smarter, affordable alternative to the expensive SCADA systems commonly used in more developed utilities.

Once successfully implemented on KIL's network, the GAP solution has the potential to address the energy trilemma by improving reliability through reduced power outages, enhancing affordability through decreased energy losses, and promoting sustainability through integrating renewable energy sources and promoting energy conservation through consumer training.

By targeting these challenges, the GAP project aims to transform the electricity distribution landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing reliable and affordable power to millions of people while contributing to the region's economic, social, and environmental progress.