Two UK-Nigeria projects are advancing new clean energy innovations designed to power homes, healthcare, schools, businesses and transport, while supporting wider access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy across Nigeria.
Supported through the Zero Emissions (ZE‑Gen)’s Accelerator programme, the projects combine UK and Nigerian expertise to develop and demonstrate distributed renewable energy systems in real‑world conditions, with strong potential to scale beyond pilot phases and reach international markets.
They focus on practical, locally relevant innovations, including mobile solar generation, modular battery systems, energy storage, shared power infrastructure and e‑mobility solutions. These technologies are designed to support households, productive‑use businesses and essential services, while reducing dependence on fossil fuel generators.
The two projects have been awarded £2.4 million through the UK Government’s Transforming Energy Access (TEA) research and innovation platform, matched by a further £2.4 million from private investors. In addition to funding, the projects will receive tailored commercialisation and investment‑readiness support from Innovate UK and the Carbon Trust.
The projects address the widespread reliance on fossil fuel generators across emerging economies. It is estimated that 25 million highly polluting generators are currently in use, contributing to high carbon emissions, significant health risks and high operating costs that divert resources away from job creation, business growth, healthcare and education.
Funded by Innovate UK, the two projects are the final successful Phase 3 cohort of the ZE-Gen Accelerator programme, which started with 21 Phase 1 projects. The programme is supporting the development of new international markets, strengthening local supply chains and creating economic opportunities for companies in both the UK and Nigeria.
Mr. Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, said: “These UK-Nigeria partnerships show how collaboration and innovation can deliver real solutions to challenges. By combining UK expertise with Nigerian ingenuity, these projects are helping to bring clean, reliable energy to communities and businesses, while opening new international markets for our companies.
“Through programmes like ZE‑Gen, we are supporting practical, scalable technologies that reduce emissions, strengthen energy security and create lasting economic opportunities for both our countries.”
Dr James Coombs OBrien, ZE-Gen lead at Innovate UK, said: “Commercialising innovation to make a positive impact on people’s lives is at the centre of everything that ZE-Gen does. We’re delighted to support UK and Nigerian innovators in developing these cutting-edge technologies and to work collaboratively to solve global challenges to benefit people and both the Nigerian and UK economies.”
Lily Beadle, ZE-Gen lead at the Carbon Trust, said: “Bringing investible innovation projects to life in real-world settings, showing they have the commercial potential to scale and have impact in a range of settings is at the heart of ZE-Gen. These latest projects are part of creating a ZE-Gen eco-system of change to ensure positive impact on supply chains, communities and local markets.”
Despite being home to two thirds of the world’s population, emerging economies only account for 15% of global clean energy investment – with homes and businesses facing frequent blackouts that can last for weeks at a time, negatively impacting daily lives and business income.
To date, ZE-Gen has catalysed £50.5 million in support, including from the IKEA Foundation and the UK Government’s Ayrton Fund, and has supported more than 40 localised renewable energy projects across Nigeria, the Philippines, Cote d’Ivoire, Fiji, South Africa, Malawi and Uganda.
The new ZE-Gen Accelerator projects are summarised below:
- Mobile Solar Generators with Mesh‑Grid Capability (MobACE‑γ)
Lead: Sleekabyte Technologies (Newport, Wales, UK / Nigeria)
Partner: Citibim (Nigeria)
Led by Sleekabyte Technologies, working with Nigerian partners Citibim, this project is demonstrating mobile solar power systems in Nigeria designed for markets, small businesses, schools and clinics that operate without reliable grid electricity. The system combines solar generation with rentable, swappable battery units, providing flexible clean power that can move with economic activity in urban and peri‑urban locations.
Phase 3 will pilot clustered deployments across Nigerian communities, allowing multiple units to connect and share power safely. By validating both the technology and the underlying business model, the project aims to offer a practical, affordable alternative to petrol and diesel generators for informal and semi‑formal enterprises.
Dr Oladimeji Olawale, CEO at Sleekabyte Technologies UK Limited, said: “What makes ZE-Gen Phase 3 especially exciting is that it brings together four critical enablers of inclusive growth in Africa and other emerging economies: energy access, business growth, digital inclusion, and investment access. We see energy access as the essential precursor to a more intelligent, data-driven clean energy ecosystem that helps businesses grow through viable, easy-to-finance adoption models and technology-enabled investment tracking and optimisation.
“ZE-Gen’s support is making it possible for us to move this vision into advanced deployment by integrating 5G and 5G LAN, advanced metering, GPS, and SCADA systems to enable peer-to-peer, clustered energy deployment and energy sharing. This creates strong commercial potential in Nigeria through more scalable clean energy access for businesses, and in the UK through innovation leadership, digital energy expertise, and exportable solutions for emerging markets.”
Dr Abdul-Quayyum Gbadamosi, CEO at Citibim Nigeria Limited, said: “ZE-Gen Phase 3 is especially exciting because it responds to a critical reality for many businesses in Nigeria: energy costs can consume over 60% of profitability, trapping enterprises in stagnation, informality, and energy poverty. What makes this innovation distinctive is that it does not focus on technology alone; it is designed around the operational constraints and financial realities of those businesses, combining clean energy innovation with embedded de-risked financing.
“ZE-Gen’s support is making it possible to advance this first-of-its-kind solution towards stronger technical validation, commercial readiness, and scalable deployment. Alongside grant funding, ZE-Gen is providing the projects with tailored commercialisation support to accelerate their route to market including coaching, one-to-one support and events along with strategic advice to enable investment readiness, market engagement, and product development.
- Solar Battery Hub: Scaling Last‑Mile Energy Access
Lead: Centre for Energy Equality (CEE, Warrington, UK)
Partners: PAM Africa (Nigeria), Moonlight Energy (London, UK), Tree Associates (Norfolk, UK), Standard Microfinance Bank (Nigeria)
Led by the Centre for Energy Equality (CEE), in partnership with PAM Africa, Moonlight Energy, Tree Associates and Standard Microfinance Bank, this project will deploy Africa’s largest grid‑integrated battery‑swap hub in Kano, northern Nigeria. The hub combines large‑scale solar generation with shared battery storage and e‑mobility, delivering clean, reliable power for local businesses and transport services.
Building on earlier ZE‑Gen‑supported R&D pilots, Phase 3 will demonstrate how this Kano‑based hub can operate at commercial scale – reducing reliance on fossil fuel generators, supporting productive‑use businesses and strengthening local energy systems. The project will also test new ownership and financing models, creating a blueprint that can be replicated across Nigeria and other emerging markets.
Gemma Sutherland, Director of Global Impact, Centre for Energy Equality, said: “We’re thrilled to be taking the Solar Battery Hub into the final phase of the ZE-Gen Accelerator. Over the course of the programme, we’ve taken a nascent idea, piloted it, and are now demonstrating it at scale.
“With ZE-Gen’s support, we’re launching the first grid-integrated battery swap hub in sub-Saharan Africa, giving businesses and transport providers access to clean, reliable power without the need for diesel generators.
“This venture is about extending reliable, affordable energy to the last mile, reaching underserved communities that are currently locked out of consistent power. That sits at the heart of our mission at the Centre for Energy Equality.”