MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Energy efficiency application

One-line solution summary:

The service proposed is related to smart application and smart devices able to show able to monitor and control the smart devices.

Pitch your solution.

Typical Beninese electricity consumers learn their consumption every two months when their paper bill arrives. In this situation, they cannot keep a close eye on how their electricity is being used. The project will solve this problem by giving consumers the ability to monitor their consumption in real time. With a single mobile device, they will be able to monitor the intelligent equipment installed in their building after receiving recommendations from the application. This solution will reduce overall energy consumption and therefore the production of greenhouse gases, but also reduce bills.

What specific problem are you solving?

The potential demand is considerable, in particular because of the advantages of the smart grid, which is more difficult to hack into and makes it possible to detect problems immediately and take targeted action, to reduce energy loss in the grids or who have suffered non-technical losses due to metering or reading problems, among other things. The final consumer, on the other hand, has benefited from shorter outage times and better quality of electricity supply.

What is your solution?

The service proposed is related to smart application and smart devices able to show able to monitor and control the smart devices and the energy consumption. The smart application can gather the data from the smart devices (and smart meter), process it and provide feedback to the user according to defined KPIs. The users (household or businesses) can access the information thanks to a web-based (mobile) platform. The platform allows the user to manage the energy in an efficient way. In particular:

Providing helpful and detailed feedback on energy consumption using precise, real-time data;
Enabling the end-user to adjust the habits based on this information in order to reduce consumption.
Directly control the systems through smart devices, (if the control devices are installed).

Every user will be provided with credentials to enter a dedicated platform where he/she could.

Check the current level of consumption;
Check historical data on energy consumption;
Compare his/her level of consumption with the average of the same user segment;
Compare his/her level of consumption with that of most efficient users;
Set reduction targets;
Receive alerts when consumption is higher than expected or reached a defined level;
Receive suggestions about how to improve the energy behavior;

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Residential and non-residential users. They are the ones who use and pay for the electricity provided. The smart application enables users to manage their energy in an efficient way via a web-based (mobile) platform.
Construction and Smart home automation companies. These organizations show great interest in measures and applications finalized to obtain consistent energy management optimization combined with costs reduction. The Smart application is able to meet needs of construction and smart home automation companies in a way that shows, supports and controls smart devices and energy consumption.
Energy Service Companies. Many ESCOs companies provide energy services to residential sector. They are mainly interested in methodologies and solutions to manage better the energy consumption associated contracts. The proposed smart application contributes to energy efficiency.
Social housing association/Municipalities. Social housing associations and municipalities own large amount of social housing and buildings of different size and purpose and, as public entities, they are particularly keen to minimize the normally scarce resources they have to allocate and make economic savings in return.
SBEE Benin Electricity CompanyIt is in charge of ensuring the transport, the distribution, the importation and the exportation of electricity through the exploitation of SBEE equipment

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Enable small and new businesses, especially in untapped communities, to prosper and create good jobs through access to capital, networks, and technology

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

The scope of this section is to sum up the customer relationships and channels.

In order to enable customers to evaluate the potentialities and the benefits of the smart application, the idea is to develop some demos that show how the application works.

To boost the awareness about the offered service a continuum campaign of dissemination activities will be conducted through web and social media, and attending smart home/smart building events.

Finally, potential customers can be reached through different channels such as word of mouth and free users that can attract other paid customers.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Abomey Calavi, Bénin

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Joseph MEVOGNON, le Directeur General

More About Your Solution

About Your Team

What type of organization is your solution team?

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

How many people work on your solution team?

8 people

How many years have you worked on your solution?

1

Why are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

The smart application is the most important asset in the freemium model, because it allows basic services to be offered at low marginal costs.

The key activities to realize the idea starts with the implementation of the smart application. Once the technology is ready, a marketing campaign to create awareness must be run. Lastly, a continuous improvement of the application must take place. The key resources related to these activities are mainly human, financial and intellectual. In particular, the key resources to provide the platform on the market are:

IT infrastructure and software to be used for the implementation of the smart application
Software developers. The smart application requires about 3 developers (1 for Android, 1 for IOS, and 1 for the Back-end of the apps) who can develop it in about 3 months. In particular, SW developers will use a DevOps platform, that enables the client to have access to the application and to follow the progress of the development.
Management consultants to support customers in the choice of the proper smart application
Salesforce to facilitate the communication of benefits and advantages reachable through the smart application
Access to Internet is a key requirement for the implementation of the smart application in Cote d’Ivoire
Financial budget for implementing the technology and marketing activities

What organizations do you currently partner with, if any? How are you working with them?

The intelligent application is one of the pioneers in the smart grid in Benin. Without losing sight of the fact that other companies are going to intervene in the sector, it will rely on a distribution network throughout the country to build up an image through the quality of services offered, the quality of energy saving equipment sold via the platform, the after-sales service and monitoring of the equipment delivered and especially the guarantee offered and its partnership with the Beninese government and its collaboration with the SBEE. It is now that Benin wishes to get involved in the smart grid with the smart meters ordered under the MCA2 program.

Your Business Model & Funding

Partnership & Prize Funding Opportunities