Kenya - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Africa Renewables Katalyst is building towards a renewable future today. We are on a bold mission to give Africans 100% access to energy through mini-grids. We make them more financially viable through carbon and international renewable energy markets.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Africa Renewables Katalyst (ARK) is on a mission to drive exponential adoption of renewable energy. We hope to grow so big that we get to tap into 60% of Africa's solar potential. The project idea starts with us helping mini-grid developers in Kenya build more sustainable business models around their mini-grids through carbon markets and international renewable energy certificates. We have built a platform that helps mini grids tap into the carbon markets and international renewable energy certificates to help them generate extra income, which builds into their challenges of setting up and operating mini grids. Currently, mini-grids are probably the best solution to help Africa solve its ever growing energy poverty. However, despite them being the hope of our African people, they face many challenges, and ARK is trying to solve one of them through this platform. The platform guides them to new revenue streams from these new markets. For us, it is just the start of us helping Africa!

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

We are trying to build better financial viability for mini-grids. They face challenges in raising finance due to the slow return on investment, and we are focused and dedicated to making mini-grids very financially viable, but our entry point is helping them tap into new opportunities within the carbon space. When you have a sit down with mini-grids, both commercial and industry use or community based mini grids, they have consistencies in their problems. They are always constantly looking for new avenues of money to support their operations and meet return on investment. The reason we persude the carbon space was since, most of them want to, but do not know how to. Our platform does not only guide them, but makes it cheaper, faster and effecient to join the carbon space. Our goal is simply to equip them with numerious avenues for generating income. This is just the start of it.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

Our platform helps these mini-grid developers seamlessly join the carbon markets and international renewable energy markets. With a lack of prior knowledge of these markets, these developers do not know how to, and we are providing a simple way of joining the markets. By making it easier, we have unlocked new models of revenue for these mini-grids, breaking the sweat that they currently have in generating extra revenue. By helping these mini-grids leverage these markets, we have opened them to new channels of finance and opened new investment streams for mini-grid developers.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

We are targeting mini-girds. And this is why we are targeting mini-grids; these are independent power stations that run independently to provide renewable energy sourced from solar, hydro or biomass to offgrid areas. When we say off-grid areas, what we mean for us is rural Africa, where we have energy poverty. This is why we have mini grids at the heart of our solutions, tailored to give them an easier time as they get deployed across Africa. If we make mini grids have better financial viability, we believe we can have them deployed as fast as possible across Africa, hence providing energy to our rural population that needs these energys.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2023-10-03

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

1

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

0

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Job Karani, software engineer. He studied for a diploma in information technology from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. After which, managed to get a scholarship to Moringa School, where he studied Software Engineering. He graduated and worked in 2020 in different software engineering roles. Munene Njeru is a software engineer and a microgrid engineer. Munene is currently pursuing a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. He has also managed to finish his software engineering studies at Moringa School and his microgrid studies at the Microgrid Academy. Munene has received the Grand Challenges Scholars Program award by the National Academy of Engineering (USA) for the four modules and projects set up under the Micro Grid Academy.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/africa-renewable-katalyst-ark

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

a) Energy (equipment, services, sustainable energy and fuel)

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

Access to energy opens opportunities for economic growth and development, since we are catalizing adoption of mini grids in rural communities, we are paving ways for economic development and job opportunities hence tackling poverty.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

2

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

Access to energy drives access to agricultural activities hence tackling hunger.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

5

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

Our minigrids provide power to schools and homes making access to better education a reality in rural areas.

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

4

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

Part of our business model for these minigrids is the purification of brackish and saline water.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

6

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

Mini-grids provide job opportunities to these communities. Access to clean energy also drives economic development.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

6

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

Our minigrids rely on multiple sources of renewable energy, these demostrates out commitment to innovation and infrastructure.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

2

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

4

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

4

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

6

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

6

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

3

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

3

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

2

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

2

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

2

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

5

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

6

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

4

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

6

05.08 Justification

Current models of minigrids do not have sustainable business models, ours are different for they tap into the carbon markets for extra revenue generation. We have not just built a platform, we have also tried coming up with new business models for mingrids.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

In Kenya, we have no competitors. In East Africa, we have no competitors. In Africa, we have no competitors. Our competitors are in Europe and Asia. We are different for we have based our focus on mini grids.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

no