SUB-SAHARA – Rolls-Royce Power Systems, a German company owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings with holdings in engine manufacturing brands and facilities, is investing in Berlin-based start-up Kowry Energy GmbH, a provider of sustainable and decentralised energy systems.
Kowry supports the sustainable expansion of energy infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa by combining renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems.
“The African market for decentralised energy supply offers great potential. The geographical conditions provide an opportunity to build a climate-friendly, local power supply for industrial and community customers that operates with minimum use of fossil fuels,” said Rolls-Royce Power Systems CFO Louise Öfverström.
“As a young company, Kowry Energy can adapt to the realities of the fast-growing African energy market. Rolls-Royce as investor and industry partner provides Kowry Energy with strong positioning in the market. The start-up can rely on our support and know-how in implementing their projects.”
In co-operation with local independent power providers and operators, Kowry Energy will supply energy solutions using PV systems and battery storage for demand of up to 1 MW. This minimises the use of fossil fuels and makes optimal use of the climatic conditions in Africa.
“We believe that solving the climate challenge facing our planet will only succeed with the inclusion of the 600 million people of Sub-Saharan Africa who are living without energy today.”
Ndiarka Mbodji – Founder, Kowry Energy
Kowry Energy supports its customers every step of the way – from project development and design to sourcing equipment and offers its customers fully integrated hybrid solutions.
“We believe that solving the climate challenge facing our planet will only succeed with the inclusion of the 600 million people of Sub-Saharan Africa who are living without energy today,” said Kowry Energy founder Ndiarka Mbodji.
“This requires innovative business-models that enable sustainable energy access with scale and speed. With a scale-based business model and Rolls-Royce Power Systems as our investor we are confident that Kowry Energy will achieve this.”
“We are excited to be launching this year in Mali and Nigeria and to see our business model validated by a current projects pipeline of US$17 million and growing rapidly, and I look forward to welcoming more investors committed to sustainable energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Hybrid projects combining battery storage with solar photovoltaic (PV) are continuing to grow in popularity in developed markets due to their ability to maximize renewable energy; storing excess energy generated that can then be utilized at a later time.
There is potential for the deployment of battery storage to work in conjunction with renewable penetration in Africa, heightened by the continuing decrease in the price of battery technology, but there are several challenges to its adoption on a large scale.
