Catching the Sun: Chibunna Ogbonna’s Contribution to Africa’s Solar Energy Future
Energy access and electrification are probably some of the biggest challenges that African countries face. Shortages in the supply of energy- renewable and non-renewable sources of energy present themselves as a constant challenge for African Economies. South Africa is currently experiencing a load-shedding crisis, although a large part of its energy mix depends on coal, a harmful but potent fossil fuel. Ghana has also experienced several power outages (popularly referred to as dumsor) for reasons such as low water levels but in recent times, attributed to a shortage of gas. Nigeria, Kenya among several other African countries have also experienced their fair share of blackouts as a symptom of energy insecurity.
There have been endless think pieces and policy discussions on ways that governments, corporations and individuals could help solve this problem. Growing up in Ghana ( where there is an abundance of sunlight power outages are pretty frequent) one of the complaints I would constantly hear about power outages was; “ With all this heat, how do we not use solar energy? ”. And I think; “Yeah, how come we haven’t done that? Is it that simple?”. And like many other climate and environmental-related issues, there has been some discussion on the potential and costs of renewable energy as against fossil fuels.
My search for answers on the potential of solar energy in African countries led me to a conversation with Chibunna Ogbonna, green entrepreneur and founder of Kiru Energy Limited. His organization’s mission is to “provide clean energy solutions for residential and commercial purposes across Africa”. Chibunna had some interesting insights into his business and the potential of solar energy generation across the African continent.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Chibunna Ogbonna, a 25-year-old Nigerian. I am a visionary leader, innovator, entrepreneur, and currently the co-founder and CEO of Kiru Energy Limited. I graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria and I’m particularly interested in renewable energy, smart cities, sustainable development, and philanthropy.
What is Kiru Energy Limited and what inspired you to start this initiative?
Kiru Energy Limited is a sustainable energy company I co-founded with my partner Benedict Okpala while we were still undergrads at the University. We are positioning ourselves as a company to enable progress on the African continent by providing the requisite infrastructure such as sustainable transportation and smart city solutions in the coming years.
My passion for renewable energy inspired me to start Kiru. Whilst at the University, I discovered that I didn’t want to simply graduate and find a job but use my talents to be a part of something that would solve a global problem. As I come from a science background, I was inspired to look for challenges that I could solve with my knowledge in this field and that was how the idea of providing solutions to climate change came to mind. I started looking for ways to access knowledge and gain exposure to how to be part of the solution to climate change. My curiosity led me to start looking into conferences and events where I could learn about renewable energy. The idea of creating energy directly from renewable sources fascinated me and I decided it was something that I would love to be part of. When I reached my 3rd year, I decided to start a company. I was 19 at the time and was inspired by Bill Gates who also started Microsoft at the same age. I started to look for opportunities to learn about business. This required me to leave my university to travel to Lagos and other cities in Nigeria for conferences on the weekends and then come back on Sunday to attend lectures on Monday. Looking back at how I started, they were definitely some of the best experiences I ever had.
Who patronizes your products/services?
At Kiru Energy we focus on homes and businesses. We provide electricity through renewable energy sources (especially solar energy) and we are building solutions that will enable people to have access to electricity from these sources in a very affordable and efficient way. Our goal is to get more people to adopt these sources in order to improve their health, increase their productivity, reduce carbon emissions, and build smarter and more serene cities in Nigeria and across Africa.
What have been some of your wins as an organization?
The greatest win for us as a young company has been the ability to adapt quickly. We are able to learn from failed attempts at creating certain products or services and move fast in terms of how we approach our business. We have also found the right people to work with. For me, working with my co-founder Benedict Okpala has been a divine experience — it’s not always easy to find someone who understands your vision and is willing to go the extra mile and stick with you when things are looking bleak. We also have a vast network of both local and international collaborators, partners, friends, and supporters in Europe, the Americas, Nigeria and South Africa. The International Sustainability Academy, the Shared Value Africa Initiative, Student Energy, Clean Technology Hub, Sahara Foundation and Leap Africa are all organizations that support us.
Could you share a couple of challenges that you’ve had so far?
Starting the company as a university students was the main challenge for us as we had to juggle between lectures and building a brand. It was both very exciting and challenging. We ran the company with personal funds, spent months on end applying for different competitions and grants, and received countless rejection emails. There were some competitions we won and others we didn’t.
We have created products that went into the market, but we were unable to scale due to the absence of funding. There were times when the products were not validated, and the market could not accept them. COVID-19 also presented a great challenge in terms of the plans we had for 2020. We however used that to our advantage by joining an incubation program with All On and Clean Technology Hub, where we also raised seed funding of $10,000 after the six-month incubation program. That notwithstanding, we still face challenges in terms of pivoting our company from a hardware-focused renewable energy company to a hybrid renewable energy company that utilizes both software and hardware to deliver electricity access. Operating in Nigeria is also not easy — we recently attempted to establish our first energy project in our university in Owerri but were unable to implement it because of the industrial strike with the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities that was happening at the time. This distorted our plans for the first quarter of 2022; however, we still try our best to pivot and find solutions to some of these challenges by rethinking strategies and exploring other options.
I noticed that you use the expression “sustainable energy” on your website — what does this mean and why is it important? (I’m also curious as to whether it is different from renewable energy)
At Kiru, we define sustainable energy in terms of how this technology is able to meet the needs of customers and the effect it has on development in general. To us, the energy that powers sustainable development is what we refer to as sustainable energy. Our company is focused on using renewable energy solutions. When we say “sustainable energy” we mean energy that not only provides electricity, but also powers development, avoids carbon emissions, protects the environment, provides jobs, and creates economic development.
Why do you think energy insecurity is such a big problem across West Africa?
Energy insecurity is a very huge problem not just in Nigeria but across Africa. When I was completing a fellowship with the International Sustainability Academy in Germany in 2021, one of the most profound experiences I had was the fact that there was no day the power went off in my in the apartment I stayed in. There was a constant power supply. It is this same electricity that powers trains, electric vehicles, and many others. Energy insecurity is a big threat to Africa’s potential because without energy security businesses cannot function and individuals cannot operate optimally. Nowadays almost everybody uses mobile phones and laptops, and these devices need to be powered. Moreso, sustainable transportation needs to be powered. Without energy security, we will not be able to achieve sustainable development. Energy powers manufacturing and most industrialized nations are the most developed nations.
If West Africa is to become a developed region, then we must be energy secure to keep individuals, businesses, and government running optimally.
How feasible do you think it is for a country like Nigeria to run solely on renewable energy, and how can it be done? (Do issues like population size and geographical location affect this?)
I don’t think it is feasible for a country like Nigeria to run solely on renewable energy at the moment. I say this because looking at our level of development and our current trajectory we do not have the necessary infrastructure to have renewable energy adopted at scale across Nigeria. Again, the geographical locations and population size also make it quite difficult to adopt renewable energy across the country entirely. Transportation may still require the use of fossil fuels such as oil and gas-powered vehicles because there are no policies that actually support the use of electric vehicles currently in Nigeria. Even if the policies are put in place, there has to be a constant supply of electricity to power these electric vehicles. Because of the variable nature of renewable energy sources (wind and sunlight are not always available), it might be quite difficult for the whole of Nigeria to be powered by renewable energy. Renewables can however be included in the larger energy mix in Nigeria. What I mean by this is that solar energy and other forms of renewable energy can play a major role in powering businesses and essential services. They also provide residential power for homes and businesses you know across Nigeria. Nigeria would really have to develop economically such that our people can be able to afford these renewable energy systems
Nigeria and other West African countries will need to set up regional manufacturing centres where these renewable energy solutions and technologies are assembled or manufactured so that we don’t constantly import from China and other parts of the world. We need to set up regional manufacturing or assembly zones where we can easily access renewable energy components for implementing such projects. We must also improve the development of renewable energy education in the university and secondary school curricula so we can inspire young people to participate in research, business, entrepreneurship, and policy development. The energy sector is not just limited to technology and business; it also requires expertise in law, policy, and other fields. African countries must also set renewable energy targets. That is, set targets and actually mean them and not just to be put on paper.
I’ve heard people say, “We have so much sunlight in West Africa, but we don’t use enough solar panels”. What do you think of this statement? (I’m just curious to know if it’s that simple)
Yes, this is true. However, it’s not just about solar panels but a combination of many things. Although we have an abundance of solar radiation and are strategically positioned on the world map, there are a lot of other challenges that inhibit the progress or adoption of renewable energy and solar energy in particular. One of those challenges is the wrong perception that solar energy does not work. At the moment, solar energy also seems like a luxury because it’s quite expensive for many people to afford so a lot of people perceive the initial high capital cost as a barrier. Solar energy is however very affordable in the long term because the operation costs are very minimal, in fact, there are almost zero costs after installing solar panels in your home or business. Another challenge is that there are not enough solar panels. There is also a lack of technical expertise in implementing these projects resulting in their failure. This has created the misconception that solar energy does not work. Several failed government and partnership projects such as solar water pumps, solar dryers, or streetlights were unsuccessful because of corruption. These are some of the challenges that hinder the adoption of solar energy in Nigeria. We’re looking at tackling this in our company by changing the narrative about solar energy and showing that we can harness the power that comes with Nigeria’s abundance of solar power.
Even with this abundance, we still need the technology which includes solar panels and other associated components. This is why I mentioned earlier that we need to have regional manufacturing and assembly facilities where we can package and assemble these solar energy components to render them cheaper and more available in the market.
What kind of energy policy do you think would be best for African Countries facing energy insecurity and why? (You can focus on Nigeria)
Ensuring that all energy sources in Nigeria are currently utilized would be the best policy. Nigeria is blessed with oil, gas, wind, and solar radiation. Improving and harnessing the entire energy mix will be the best policy for African countries. For example, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also has oil and gas, and they also have a very high percentage of solar irrigation however the country invests massively in renewable energy projects and develops its fossil fuel projects. Cities in the UAE are powered by renewable energy as well as gas. I would say that Nigeria needs to harness all energy sources it has in a sustainable way which would help improve energy security in the country and the continent as a whole. I believe this is the best way to go in terms of the development needs of the country because each country has its own unique development needs. Nigeria needs to focus on what these needs are and set a strategic plan on how to meet them, keeping into consideration population growth and energy.
How do you envision the sustainability space in Nigeria in the next few years? Do you see the rise of many eco-friendly start-ups such as yours in the future?
The sustainability space in Nigeria is really massive and untapped. At the moment, there is not much investment in the sustainability space, but the future looks bright. I envision massive investments being made, and startups that are currently positioned for this coming opportunity will be the best to gain from this. I say this because there will be an increase in demand for energy, sustainable mobility, and sustainable materials. People will demand cleaner air, cleaner food, cleaner water, and things that have to do with well-being. Nigeria will continue to develop and this massive development trajectory and growing population size require sustainable start-ups that will meet the growing needs and help to mitigate climate change in Nigeria. This is why I feel that so many sustainability start-ups will spring up in the coming years and it’s going to be a great thing to see the circular economy taking root in Nigeria.
What other state policies would you like to see passed to promote businesses like yours?
I would love to see the removal of import duties on sustainable energy components like batteries and solar panels. I would also like to see the creation of opportunities for regional assembly plants whereby players can come in and develop renewable energy assembly and manufacturing facilities. Many facilities are currently being run, but the taxes are too high to enable them to sustain their manufacturing and assembly process. As such, reducing taxes for renewable energy-focused industrial plants is going to really be helpful. Another thing would be to provide green startups with incentives and policy instruments that would help them promote their businesses. This could come in the form of grants, or passing laws that promote the use of renewable energy or sustainable materials which will help boost demand for such products and services.
From your experience, how do you think businesses can be green/sustainable and competitive?
By focusing on their core mission and being resilient in the process of innovation. They must constantly think of new ideas, and study market trends and the development trajectories of countries in which they operate. This would guide them in the creation of solutions that can meet both present and future needs. Companies need to foresee future needs and start creating solutions that will meet those needs. They must also have the ability to think long term as they are building green businesses which requires a lot of motivation and the inspiration to keep going. Focusing on the long term will really help the business to adjust despite the challenges they may face today. They can also look at partnerships with other players along the value chain, not simply fixating on their own product or service but also creating partnerships with suppliers or distributors. Another thing I would say is, “Stay different!”Looking for ways to differentiate oneself from the competition is always an advantage.
