Okra – Business model revolution with mesh-grid (Nigeria)

Renewvia deployed a 75-connection Okra mesh-grid in Emakalakala, Nigeria, in 2024 to address system-wide blackouts and high costs associated with its existing mini-grids. The mesh-grid pilot achieved 99.1% uptime, reduced capex per connection by approximately 50%, and shortened the payback period by 3 years. These results led Renewvia to shift its strategy toward a pipeline of over 21,000 mesh-grid connections over the next 18 months and the launch of an appliance financing pilot.

• Renewvia's traditional mini-grids in Oloibiri and Akipelai suffered from reliability issues, with average uptime dropping to 60% (ranging from 40% to 85%) due to power theft, system losses, and a few high-demand users overwhelming capacity.
• The 2024 deployment of a 75-connection mesh-grid (consisting of 15 Hubs and 60 Spokes) in Emakalakala significantly outperformed targets, achieving 99.1% uptime against a 90% target and reaching 99% of target revenue performance.
• Mesh-grids provided superior economics over mini-grids, with capex per connection approximately 50% lower and a payback period reduced by 3 years.
• Following the pilot's success, Renewvia is pivoting its strategy to focus entirely on mesh-grids, planning a pipeline of more than 21,000 connections over the next 18 months and initiating an appliance financing pilot with Afrimash.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (2026). Okra – Business model revolution with mesh-grid (Nigeria). https://renewelec.org/case-study/okra-business-model-revolution-with-mesh-grid-nigeria/

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. Okra – Business model revolution with mesh-grid (Nigeria). 2026. https://renewelec.org/case-study/okra-business-model-revolution-with-mesh-grid-nigeria/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=Okra – Business model revolution with mesh-grid (Nigeria) |date=23 February 2026 |url=https://renewelec.org/case-study/okra-business-model-revolution-with-mesh-grid-nigeria/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrification2026okra, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{Okra – Business model revolution with mesh-grid (Nigeria)}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://renewelec.org/case-study/okra-business-model-revolution-with-mesh-grid-nigeria/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }