MOPO Batteries are charged centrally and rented to customers in off-grid communities in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, the Gambia and Liberia. Energy Catalyst funding has springboarded Mobile Power's growth by enabling the company to demonstrate its technology at scale, unlock sales to solar Contact online >>
MOPO Batteries are charged centrally and rented to customers in off-grid communities in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, the Gambia and Liberia. Energy Catalyst funding has springboarded Mobile Power''s growth by enabling the company to demonstrate its technology at scale, unlock sales to solar mini-grid companies and gain access to debt finance, facilitating the rapid scale-up of the company.
Strategic and business support from Energy Catalyst has also enabled Mobile Power to demonstrate its business model to investors and partners, contributing to a successful Series A investment round.
We believe that pay-per-use battery sharing is key to unlocking markets where traditional energy solutions struggle. We are now launching a range of battery products and operate across sub-Saharan Africa as a leader in battery technology for the African continent.
Many of those with the lowest incomes travel miles to charge their phones on high-carbon generators whilst relying on expensive and polluting forms of energy for their homes, businesses and transport.
Mobile Power''s services target off-grid customers who cannot afford solar home systems and are not served by commercial mini-grids. "To disrupt the status quo, we designed a way to deliver renewable energy at a price-point affordable to nascent markets without subsidy, consumer debt or mobile money requirements. By expanding the access to clean energy across these markets, we can unlock massive opportunities for business and education whilst improving health and reducing carbon output," says Chris Longbottom.
Daily battery rentals can deliver affordable energy access on a flexible basis, requiring no deposit, credit check or fixed payment structure, sparing customers the burden of regular required payments. The 50Wh MOPO50 battery provides enough energy for households to charge mobile phones and power DC appliances and costs customers 75% less when compared to charging phones on generators or using disposable batteries for lighting.
MOPO agents purchase credit to activate the MOPO Batteries using mobile money (apps that allow people to receive, store and spend money using a mobile phone), then the batteries are rented to customers, at a slightly higher price, with payments in cash or mobile money. This model enables even the lowest income families and businesses, those without access to mobile money and those in remote communities without phone signal, to access affordable, low-carbon energy.
Mobile Power have created a sustainable and commercial business model for their product which is already providing power to over 100,000 people across sub-Saharan Africa. With subsidiaries in Nigeria and Liberia recently established, their customer base is growing rapidly, and the company expects to reach one million customers within the next three years if the current growth rate continues.
The rented battery business model is also designed to have significant environmental benefits: as the MOPO Batteries are always returned to Mobile Power, still-functioning but tired batteries can be serviced, so to extend their lifespan. The batteries that have reached the end of their useful life can be disposed of in global e-waste recycling and disposal facilities, lowering the chances of e-waste dumping that has blighted other renewable energy business models in rural Africa.
With input from Energy Catalyst, Mobile Power has also put a Gender Equality and Inclusion (GESI) strategy in place for the recruitment of female MOPO agents. Mobile Power is aiming to achieve a more equal workforce with at least 50% female agents in the near future and recently launched its first all-female MOPO Hub in Sierra Leone.
Energy Catalyst is also helping Mobile Power seize further opportunities to develop the business. To address investor risk aversion around new business models and technologies, Energy Catalyst provided Mobile Power with transaction research and support on valuation methodologies. Support also included information on the certification requirements for the product and individual components.
Energy Catalyst has been instrumental in helping Mobile Power go from innovation to commercially-viable and market-ready offering. Together with Energy Catalyst, Mobile Power have developed market development and growth strategies to expand their offering to hundreds of new communities in several new countries, potentially helping tens of thousands of households and businesses access clean, safe and affordable energy to use in their daily lives.
A solar-powered pay-per-use battery sharing business that was established in 2013 to serve the needs of low-income end-users in markets that are underserved by existing electrification models is expanding rapidly following the completion of its GBP 2m Series A funding round in 2020.
Mobile Power provides energy on a flexible basis through daily battery rental to consumers and is now expanding into urban generator replacement and e-mobility through the launch of its new product, the MOPOMax.
Through the company''s innovative rental model, customers rent smart lithium-ion batteries at a low cost and in time-based increments, making it easier for low-income people to access electricity as and when they need it.
The "MOPO Batteries" are charged by solar-powered "MOPO Hubs". This provides a lower cost, lower carbon model than local alternatives, which include petrol motorbikes, petrol generators and disposable battery-powered torches. The domestic MOPO50 product is suitable for lighting and fans, as well as phone charging, radios and TVs. The larger, commercial MOPOMax product runs e-motorbikes and e-tuk tuks, as well as fridges, businesses and larger households.
Payments are made either in cash or using Mobile Money, making the service inclusive to those without Mobile Money or areas with no phone signal. Additionally, the product requires no consumer debt or long-term commitment, unlike many alternative energy access solutions.
Prior to REPP''s involvement, Mobile Power had already been operating in Sierra Leone, which is among the world''s poorest countries with 60% of the population living on less than USD 1.25 a day, and had various partnership projects in Uganda, Zambia and the Gambia. It launched in Liberia in 2020 and entered the Nigerian market in 2021 and DRC in 2022, with plans to enter Chad via a third-party relationship in 2023.
The successful Series A funding round in December 2020, led by a GBP 1m equity investment from REPP, has enabled Mobile Power to deploy its MOPO Hubs at a rapid pace across Sub-Saharan Africa. As of June 2023, the company had undertaken over 11,000,000 rentals, connecting customers to clean energy for the first time. So far this has created over 650 local full-time jobs, 30% of which are filled by women.
Mobile Power is now scaling its e-mobility and generator replacement platform. The MOPOMax is based on the company''s existing technology, manufacturing and operational experience, and provides battery rental for motorbikes, tuk-tuks, agricultural tricycles and other commercial applications.
Mobile Power is well aligned with national NDC targets and priorities of most portfolio countries, supporting, among others: Sierra Leone''s national policy priority of promoting renewable energy development in rural areas (Updated NDC, 2021); Liberia''s 2030 conditional targets to reduce its GHG emissions by 64% and increase the share of RE in electricity generation to 30% by 2030 (Updated NDC, 2021); Nigeria''s National Development Plan 2021-2025 electrification target of 75% by 2025; and Uganda''s 100% electrification by 2030 target (Draft Revised National Energy Policy, 2019).
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