PowerTube

In Ghana and neighbouring West African countries, erratic power supply is almost becoming an entrenched problem. People in the residential and rural  settings, as well as the Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are hardest hit. In the hospitals lives are lost due to no electricity for operating theaters. Many rural business and SMEs in urban centers are losing revenue due to the unproductive periods during blackouts, and for those using gasoline generators the fumes and gases pollutes the environment and harms the owners. Our solution is to provide up to 4 days of uninterrupted electricity to homes and SMEs using storage solutions built from e-waste. We believe this solves the dual problem of erratic electricity and toxic e-waste being dumped into Africa.

Unreliable and erratic electricity is a problem that affects many communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. This problem affects many businesses as they remain unproductive, or even loose revenue and products, during electricity outages. Many SMEs are therefore not able to generate greater revenue to support and expand their businesses. Hence, employment opportunities, as well as creation of businesses that use electricity is limited. The traditional approach to solving this is the use of diesel or gasoline generators; they are harmful due to the air and noise pollution associated with their operation. In some cases, people sleep with the generators inside their rooms to avoid theft, leading to reported deaths in some regions. Annually, customers loose close to $851.22 of GDP per capita, due to erratic power supply. In the same vein e-waste is being dumped into Africa, and there are no proper battery recycling plants on the continent. Our business saves batteries from the dumpsite and at the same time provide uninterrupted electricity to homes and SMEs.

Our solution to the problem is: solving the erratic electricity supply problem by with a storage solution built using e-waste (old laptop batteries). The modular PowerTube in sizes of 2kWh, 5kWh and 10kWh is able to provide up to 4 days (10 kWh) for many businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. The uninteruppted electricity allows for SMEs to work longer and be more productive, even during blackouts. This leads to more job creation opportunities for businesses that depend on reliable electricity.  

The PowerTubes serves the general population of who need access to reliable uninterrupted energy. This category includes but not limited to homes, schools, clinics and health posts, cold stores, factories, and SMEs. With the PowerTube providing up to 4 days of uninterrupted electricity in case of blackout, businesses and homes can continue to operate without needing to work use gasoline generators. In addition, the uninterrupted electricity by PowerTube nature means all businesses will not have to break for a few minutes to start a generator.

The PowerTubes allows for small and medium scaled businesses, particularly in untapped communities to have continuous access to cheap reliable uninterrupted electricity for their businesses. They can therefore operate longer and generate more revenue to expand their businesses and thereby employ more people. The PowerTube technology is affordable and sustainable when compare to traditional gasoline and diesel generators. The PowerTubes also provides environmental benefits, as the e-waste from old laptop batteries are kept from the dumpsite. Also, fumes from generators are eliminated, reducing the risk of diseases due to air pollution. 

Our solution makes use of e-waste to provide a solution to erratic electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa. This solves a dual problem: toxic e-waste and unreliable electricity. 

The PowerTube stores energy when the grid is live and supplies uninterrupted power when the grid goes off. In addition, it also contains an artificial intelligent automatic voltage regulator that monitors the electricity from the grid and automatically improves the voltage and current stability in the home or office. Since energy stored is from the Grid or Solar, users get the most affordable rates during grid outages when compared to alternatives such as generators. 

Our technology was covered in a documentary by DW-TV. The link for the documentary is:

https://www.dw.com/en/powering-homes-with-ghanas-old-batteries/av-48769347

PowerTube provides reliable uninterrupted power. As such, income lost during power outages is restored. Also, the silent operation and smokeless nature makes the environment ideal for business and home. Most businesses are also able to work longer during grid outages when relying on the PowerTube. 

The PowerTube stores energy when the grid is live and supplies uninterrupted power when the grid goes off. In addition, it also contains an artificial intelligent automatic voltage regulator that monitors the electricity from the grid and automatically improves the voltage and current stability in the home or office. Since energy stored is from the Grid or Solar, users get the most affordable rates during grid outages when compared to alternatives such as generators. 

When the grid goes off, women are likely to spend more time outdoors, cooking foods and catering for the family. With PowerTube, women and children get reliable electricity and are able to stay home and have meaningful time with their families. Also, they are able to do extra work and earn a little more by working at night. The PowerTube makes all this possible. 

Health facilities that are using the Power Tube can take care of their patients when there are outages. In terms of food, deep freezers and refrigerators stay on during grid outages, ensuring that food is well preserved for longer periods. 

Currently serving 100 people. We estimate it to serve up to 10,000 people by next year and 1,000,000 in 5 years. 

Our goals for the next five years include: 

• Q2/2020 - Get $250k investment
• Q3/2020 - PowerTube 300 Program - (Next 300 buyers)
• Q4/2020 - Get international manufacturing standards, certifications; establish automated PowerTube manufacturing plant; establish resource recovery plants; partnerships with academia
• Q1,2,3,4/2021 - Battery Collection System ; Expand into West African Markets / East Africa Markets/ South African; Raise funding
• Q1,2,3,4/2022 - Establish EV battery company in Africa; Raise funding
• Q1,2,3,4/2023 - Establish Global Energy storage presence; Raise funding
• Q1,2,3,4/2024 - Expand into South American and Asia Markets
• Q1,2,3,4/2025 - Acquisition and Partnerships Preparation, IPO preparation

We have received over 200+ pre-orders and are beginning to manufacture and install them across the Ghana. This was after DW TV shared our inspiring story on Eco Africa and has since generated organic growths. However, lack of funding has been a challenge. We hope to raise more funding to achieve these goals. 

We hope to raise investor funding to achieve these goals, then we hope to be able to expand and provide electricity solution to everyone in the sub-region. 

10 People

I was inspired when we had no funding for our Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE. At the semi-final stage, building an autonomous underwater drone was challenging. With no funding, and a desire to still compete, I looked to the scraps we could find in our local backyard. It was then that I realized that more batteries were in the system and were just being disposed or burnt, releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. So we collected these batteries from all over Ghana, from the villages to the urban centers, offering cash incentives to the locals who helped us collect them.  I saw an opportunity to solve two problems: an affordable energy storage system, and a reuse and repurposing of e-waste batteries. We built the prototype and after the competition we used it at home. It worked. It was then we realize that this could be an affordable alternative to the existing solar batteries in Ghana. 

The Ghana Standards Authority, and the University of Energy and Natural Resources

Our business model is selling directly to individual customers and SMEs. We charge a service installation fee, as well as make profit from the sales of the PowerTubes. We will also charge a fee for battery replacements. 

We hope to be break even in 2023 where we will be operating at a gross margin of 40% and making a net profit of 23%.