Oxford Saïd alumni win UKRI backing to deliver clean, renewable energy to communities in Nigeria

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Oxford Saïd alumni win UKRI backing to deliver clean, renewable energy to communities in Nigeria

A consortium, led by a Saïd Business School, University of Oxford alumnus, has won funding for a project which may see diesel and petrol generators in Nigeria replaced with affordable, clean energy.

Ishaq Bolarinwa, CEO of Anfani and former MBA student, is collaborating with fellow Oxford Saïd alumnus Tom Gibson, and Michael McKenna, and Dougald Coulson, who are all co-founders of Gyre Energy, to create a network of storage-integrated solar/wind hybrid systems across the African nation, using wind turbines, solar panels and thermal storage at cold storage sites.

The consortium, which also includes three academics from Oxford’s Department for Engineering Science, won £700,000 funding for the project through the ZE-Gen Technology Accelerator, whose partners include Innovate UK, sponsored by the UK government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which is helping drive forward clean energy transition in developing countries.

World Bank research has shown, 85 million Nigerians (43% of the population), do not have access to grid electricity, making Nigeria the country with the largest energy access deficit in the world. Lack of reliable power is a significant constraint for citizens and businesses - resulting in annual estimated losses of $26.2 billion.

Ishaq commented: ‘People’s limited access to energy is holding Nigeria back. What we’re doing has the potential to change things – and it hits that sweet spot of being good for the wider economy and saving people money, while also helping protect the planet and improve air quality.’

After competing against 20 other projects during the first ‘Discovery Phase’ of the programme, the Anfani-led consortium is one of just five consortia to have been moved through to the second ‘Lift Off’ phase, that will see them focus on industrial research, product development and testing.

Commenting on the success, Ishaq added: ‘We are all passionate about the cause and have put in a huge amount of work to bring this to life. So, getting through felt like a reward for all that effort, and also recognition of what we are trying to achieve.’

Professor Lucia Corsini, Dr Jesus Lizana and Ana Outeirinho Morgado from Oxford’s Department for Engineering Science are part of the consortium along with doctoral student Bogosi Msutwana. Outside of Oxford, it includes, Sirius-X Energy (Anfani’s Technical Partner in the Phase 1 Discovery Phase) and ThinkClock Battery Labs.

Ishaq graduated from Oxford Saïd with an MBA in 2022. He credits his time at the School with his company’s’s success, having developed an early concept for Anfani’s role as a renewable energy brokerage firm as part of his Entrepreneurship Project, one of the Oxford MBA’s learning modules.

He said: ‘I cannot overestimate the profound impact my Oxford MBA has had on building the company, and also on me. While the renewable energy brokerage concept was born, in part, in the classroom at Oxford, our resulting projects, like this UK-funded system, would not exist without the invaluable connections I was able to make at the University, including our academic partners. Oxford is an extraordinary place, where not only is the education world class, but the network is like no other.’

Following this second stage, the most successful projects will be put forward to the final ‘Flight’ phase of the ZE-Gen Technology Accelerator, focused on experimental development, involving the demonstration and validation of innovations in-country.

Commenting on their hopes for the future, Gyre Energy co-founder Tom Gibson said: ‘We’re excited for Gyre Energy to deploy into the Nigeria landscape, accelerating the opportunities that can be unlocked with renewable energy powered off-grid cooling systems globally. As a mission driven startup, we are thrilled to be working alongside this ambitious consortium, led by Anfani, to innovate new solutions for energy access in a practical way. This project is truly a 'coming-together' of the Oxford ecosystem to drive meaningful innovation into action.’

ENDS

For more information, accompanying images, or to speak to someone about this story, contact Jonny Stone at jonny@bluesky-pr.com or call 01582 790704.