This start-up is using microgrids to bring reliable electricity to Nigeria

Less than half of the population of Nigeria has access to a reliable electricity supply.Start-up ICE Commercial Power is working to connect Nigerian SMEs to clean power via solar microgrids.Transforming lives through technology is also a key aim of the World Economic Forum's EDISON Alliance, which convenes public and private sector leaders to prioritize affordable access to digital solutions.Small businesses are a powerful force in Nigeria, with the country's informal market of around 40 million enterprises contributing over half of its GDP.But in a country where less than 50% of the population has access to a regular power supply many of these businesses - traders, tailors, grocery stores, electronics shops and more - get their power from an expensive, dirty and inefficient energy source: petrol generators.Not only is the cost of generator electricity substantially higher than from the grid, with users spending almost half of their monthly income on power. But they also have a negative impact on p eople and the planet. They release concentrations of harmful particulate matter higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization. And it is estimated that the annual CO2 emissions from generators in Lagos alone are equivalent to those of more than 326,000 passenger cars.Nigerian entrepreneur Emmanuel Ekwueme, who moved back to the country after studying in the US, and two friends wanted to tackle the problem. They came up with what Ekwueme describes as 'a new concept for deploying affordable clean energy solutions' for underserved businesses.Source: World Economic Forum